Iloilo MVP Taekwondo jins are still making a threatening appearance in every tournament as they won two gold and three silver medals in the 2023 Philippine Taekwondo Association Best of the Best Championships at the Ayala Malls Bay, Pasay.
Leading the Panthers, Julianna Martha Uy won the gold medal in the Individual Juniors Female Advanced category. Sophia Marie Bautista also added another gold medal for the Denmark Pinggol-mentored team after ruling the Grade School Under 165cm Advanced.
Three bronze medals were also salvaged by the Iloilo-based squad through impressive performances of Andria Maragaret Palabrica (Individual Cadet Female Advanced), Justin Adrian Apura (Individual Cadet Male Advanced), and Sheine Nicole de Asis (Cadet Female Under 160 Advanced).
For Palabrica, she said it was like the culmination of all her hardwork and prayers.
“I was not really in my best self last year and few months ago because of Injuries. And getting a medal in each competition is quite a struggle for me. I worked twice as hard to get back in shape, and thrice as hard to improve myself. There are times when I get hopeless but prayers and faith in God kept me going. I am also blessed to have coaches who never gave up on me,” she shared.
Eujean Ivanka Castete on the other hand, reached the quarterfinals of the Individual Cadet Female Advanced.
For Pinggol, the event is one of the solid lineup send by the club because only gold and silver medalists are qualified to compete in the tournament.
“It was a solid line up from MVP and in fact, being in this competition is a big achievement because these are qualified jins. As the head coach, we maintained our previous achievements and we thanked all our jins, coaches and parents for the undying support,” he added.IMT Sports
