Five UST Jins gained podium finishes for team Philippines at the 2022 Asian Poomsae Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea on June 22-27.
Tiger Jin Darius Venerable and UST alumnus Rodolfo Reyes Jr. dominated their respective leagues and were named Most Valuable Players.
Venerable snagged the silver medal in the men’s over-17 freestyle category with 7.380 points. Korea’s Jae Hyeon Han ruled the event with a 7.700 average while Thailand’s Jiraphong Khetlak finished third.
“Naging masaya ako sa performance ko kahit ‘di man ako binigyan ni Lord ng Gold medal performance, binigyan niya naman ako ng pang-MVP na performance pero ang mas naging masaya ako ay yung nararamdaman ko yung sarili ko habang ako ay nag lalaro sa stage,” Venerable told the Varsitarian.
The MVP also teamed up with fellow Tiger Jin, Justin Kobe Macario, Juvenile Crisostomo, Janna Dominique Oliba, and Jeordan Dominguez to give the country another silver in the over-17 freestyle mixed team with a 7.180-point performance. The Korean team dominated the category with 7.460 points.
UST alumnus and 2019 Southeast Asian Games medalist, Reyes Jr. took home another silver with 7.51 points after falling short against Korea’s Wan-jin Kang who averaged 7.72 in the men’s under-30 individual category.
Former Lady Jin Jocel Lyn Ninobla and Reyes Jr. bagged the team’s bronze medal after scoring 7.54 in the under-30 pair event.
Macario and Crisostomo added bronze medal finish under the over-17 freestyle mixed pair category, as they garnered an average of 6.880.
The trio of Lady Jin Aidaine Laxa, Angelica Gaw, and Laeia Soria captured the bronze with a 7.53 average, as they bowed out against the Chinese Taipei team in the semi-finals round.
The Philippine poomsae team finished with five silver and three bronze medals, ranking fourth overall in the six-day international tournament held from June 22 to 27.
