FROM a tag-along to a superstar.
Paul Romero has come a long way from simply accompanying his sister to her taekwondo training after the Tiger Jins team captain notched four gold medals in his five-year UAAP stint.
The recently awarded Most Valuable Player of the men’s taekwondo tournament said he was thankful to his sister for introducing him to the sport.
“Taekwondo is a common interest in our family. My sister was the first to try the sport. She urged me to give it a try and later on it became our quality time when we were kids,” Romero told theVarsitarian.
Romero started training taekwondo at 8 years old and admitted that he dreamt of being a part of the UST Jins, a powerhouse in the UAAP.
According to the 5’7” Nueva Ecija-native, being part of one of the best teams in the country served as his motivation every time he competes.
“Even before I entered UST, when you say taekwondo, UST is the toughest team to beat. There were times that they get the championship in all the divisions, men’s women’s and juniors’, and those really motivated me. I want to continue the legacy that my seniors started,” Romero said.
Romero continued the “legacy” and the proud tradition of UST after he led the Tiger Jins in dethroning long-time rival De La Salle University to reclaim the crown in dominant fashion in the recently concluded season 77 joust.
UST won their 12th UAAP title after a clean sweep and Romero grabbed a gold medal in the under 63 kg category.
Despite bidding goodbye to his UAAP career, Romero’s taekwondo exploits will still continue as part of the national team, from which he was given the chance to compete in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
“They told me that Asian Games is next to the Olympics so I really trained hard for the competition and luckily, I got the bronze medal,” Romero said, referring to the 2010 Asiad in China which he described as one of his proudest moments.
Romero admitted that although he is a member of two different teams, the pressure is heavier with the Tiger Jins because he needs to serve as a leader to his teammates.
“I always tell them to keep their feet on the ground. For me, you won because you’re the best during your time and you need to share your experiences with your teammates because the time will come when they will replace you. When it comes to losing, I remind them that they lost because they did something wrong and the only thing that they can do is improve and do everything right the next time they compete,” he said. Angelica P. Abello
