THE UST Tiger Jins regained the po
The Tiger Jins dethroned De La Salle University after winning three gold medals and one bronze to become the winningest team in the poomsae tournament with three championships since the sport became a regular in 2013.
National team stalwarts Jo Ninobla and Rodolfo Reyes Jr. struck gold in the individual female and male categories,respectively,
“Early this year pa lang, na-formulate na namin ang teams, kung sino ang bagay sa each category,” UST head coach Rani Ortega said.
The triumvirate of Cyrinne Abenir, Erin Saceda, and Nasatassja settled for bronze in the women’s group category after a 7.90-point output..
Reyes and Ninobla burned up their UAAP years together with Joseph Calo, Alyssa Bautista and Maica Peralta, who played alternatives.
Reyes said Ortega instilled humility and discipline on the Tiger Jins, which kept them sharp throughout their UAAP careers.
“Once na lumaki ulo mo, doon na po mawawalan ng gana sa training. Lagi po namin tinatandaan ni Jo as team captains na always train kahit na wala si coach,” Reyes said.
Ninobla capped her UAAP career with four gold and two bronze medals while Reyes ended his decorated run with a 10-2-2 gold-silver-bronze medal haul.
Ortega said the duo will still help train the team for next season.
“But we need to move forward and discover new talents,” Ortega said.
In juniors’ taekwondo action, the Junior Tiger Jins spoiled the University of the East’s five-peat bid.
UST was hailed the champion after defeating National University (NU) in an extra match-up. Both teams had identical 4-1 win-loss records.
Their male and female senior counterparts, however, finished third and fourth, respectively, both losing to NU.
NU spoiled UST’s four-peat bid after edging out the Tiger Jins, 6-1, and take home their first men’s championship.
The Bulldogs cruised to four consecutive wins after Diether Baylon sent a kick in the torso of UST’s Lennard Perez in the fourth match, 15-7.
UST easily won over University of the East after the Red Warriors failed to field players in four categories.
In women’s play, NU secured its second-straight women’s crown after Rhezie Aragon blasted Lady Jin Alyssa Asegurado in the fourth game, 29-19.
Against Ateneo, Lady Jin Marjelle Sy fell from a kick in the torso in the sudden death round against Lady EagleDanielle Morales, 11-13, in the sixth game.
“We played well but we fell short. NU is one of the seeded teams. Sila ‘yung may mga key players and they performed much better than we did,” UST head coach Jasmin Simpao told the Varsitarian.
Siblings Marielle and Marjelle Sy, Jeshlin Gas and Jovy Murillo with Tiger Jins Isaiah Lorbes, Rhayzor Catris and Lennard Perez have exhausted their playing years this season.
With a new-look team next season, Simpao is confident the junior players transitioning from senior high school will form a stronger squad.
“Hindi na kami magpapahinga ngayon [sa training]. We’llonly have one week of rest and after that, diretso na ulit kami. We [need] to focus in the off-season,” Simpao said.
With the growth of NU as a powerhouse, Simpao said the team’s preparation for Season 81 will require a whole-year round of exposure in off-season tournaments.
In the individual category, Gas (flyweight) and Colleen Heria (bantamweight) notched silver while Reign Ragutana (heavyweight) took bronze.
Aries Capispisan (lightweight) secured gold while Isaiah Lorbes (welterweight) nabbed silver. Rhayzor Catris (featherweight) pocketed bronze.
