The Iloilo MVP Taekwondo jins made a sterling performance in the world arena as Cyd Edryc Esmaña and Julianna Martha Uy brought home medals for the country in the just-concluded 2021 World Taekwondo Asia Online Poomsae Open Championship on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
For the Ilonggo teenage wonder, he said the World Taekwondo Asia 2021 Online poomsae was a great experience for him as he competed with 114 jins all over Asian countries.
“I just gave my best to give honor to my country and of course, made my parents, coaches, mentors proud and gave the credit they deserved for making my performance the best among the other jins. I still have many things to improve and to polish.Thank you Lord for all the blessings coming my way, He’s the best and deserved All the Glory,” he shared.
For Cyd’s mom, Cyril, she is thankful to God for his son’s new achievement, to his coaches and mentors, for their teachings, guidance and support.
“Cyd will not go this far without them. I’m the proudest, not only because he is now a World Taekwondo Asia gold medalist, but also for his determination and will power to endure all the pain and struggles during this journey,” she added.
Meanwhile, Uy completed the Ilonggo domination after winning the bronze medal in the Individual Blackbelt Cadet female category. She shared the top spot with teammate Acey Kiana Oglayon of Baguio.
“I feel very grateful that I have finally won a medal while representing our country. I offer my medal to the Lord and to my family for supporting me all the time. This medal is also for my coach Denmark Pinggol and for my mentor Jean Pierre Sabido who gave all their efforts in training me. I would also like to thank the Philippine Taekwondo Association for giving me this opportunity and to my team leader, Kuya Rodolfo, for not settling for anything less in reviewing my Poomsae forms. I believe that my taekwondo journey has just started. I will continue to be inspired and to keep on training to become better,” Uy said.
For her mom Jaja, she thanked God for giving Julianna the strength during the actual competition. “I thanked the Lord for giving Julianna the strength and keeping her healthy as she pursues her passion for taekwondo. I also thank her coaches and team leader as this won’t be possible without their guidance and patience. This achievement is truly a product of their teamwork,” she added.
Coach Denmark Pinggol was also happy for the turnout of the tournament. “We really worked hard for this event knowing that, once again we will be representing our country and the PTA in this another prestigious Poomsae Event. We never thought we can able to win the gold since our mindset was just to represent our PTA very well by giving our best in every round.
We are thankful to God for His guidance and giving us the courage to surpass all the challenges that we have encountered during our preparations and taping,” he disclosed.IMT
