Team Philippines has always been a consistent contender for medals in every poomsae world championships, with a stellar cast of taekwondo jins again delivering after collecting a gold medal along with three silvers and two bronzes in the just-concluded 2021 Online World Taekwondo Poomsae Open Challenge where 48 countries participated.
Angelica Joyce Gaw struck the lone gold in the under-30 Open female individual category on the strength of a near-flawless routine that netted her 7.650 points to topple Phenkanya Phaisankiattikun of Thailand (7.530) and South Korea’s A Ra Cho (7.460).
Justin Kobe Macario (7.420) claimed the silver in the men’s over-17 following a moving performance capable of upstaging eventual gold medalist Namhoon Lee of Korea (7.640). Macario proved better than Iran’s Zendehdel Komishani (7.400).
The sibling tandem of Vincent Gabriel Rodriguez and Paul Anthony Rodriguez narrowly lost the gold with a 7.310 output and settled for the silver behind brothers Yewon and Yerim Jeong of the United States (7.350) in the family pair category.
Another silver was added to the haul when June Ninobla placed second (7.470) in the men’s under-60 where Korea’s Cheol-hee Lee (7.780) asserted his mastery.
Dominant Koreans
“The members of our team always pour their hearts out in every competition. They really made us proud,’’ said poomsae coach Rani Ann Ortega, a world champion during her prime.
Out of 36 gold medals at stake, South Korea grabbed 10 and the United States seven in a dominant show of force that left the rest scrambling for crumbs.
Rodolfo Reyes Jr., who never fails to secure a medal in the international scene, got a bronze in the men’s under-30 behind winner Dong Gwang Kim of Korea (7.560) and silver medalist Bryan Dzib of Mexico (7.530).
Janna Dominique Oliva likewise scraped for the bronze in the women’s over-17 with a score of 6.520, a routine less prominent for the judges than gold winner Anastasia Sumenkova of Russia (6.880) and Iran’s Fatemeh Sotoudeh (6.740).
Nearly 600 poomsae artists from across the globe saw action, with Canada and European nations Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Hungary, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Iceland bringing their best entries in the online world staging. INQ