UST TIGER Jins bagged eight medals in the 2019 Asian Open Taekwondo Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from Aug. 15 to 17.
Former Poomsae captain and now assistant coach Rodolfo Reyes, Jr. snatched two gold medals in the men’s over-18 individual and team event.
UST Poomsae’s incoming rookie Darius Venerable also took home the gold in men’s over-18 freestyle pair poomsae category.
Poomsae Lady Jins Aidaine Laxa and former team captain Jocel Ninobla reaped bronze in the women’s over-18 team poomsae event.
Ninobla also copped bronze in the women’s over-18 individual poomsae category.
In the Kyorugi division, Israel Cantos (-87 kg) and Laila Delo (-73 kg) bagged silver and bronze, respectively, in the middle category of free sparring event.
“[M]atapang at buo ang loob [nila] sa bawat laban. Pinapakita nila na gusto nila manalo talaga, [m]eron pang two months before UAAP kaya mas pagbutihin pa nila ‘yong training para makuha ang gintong medalya at championship ngayong season,” national team and Tiger Jins coach Christian Al Dela Cruz told the Varsitarian.
(They are brave and fearless in every game. They show that they really want to win. There are two more months before UAAP, they must improve in training to get the gold medal and championship this season.)
A total of 34 Asian countries participated in the tournament.
