MANILA – Taekwondo jins from the Negros Taekwondo Union – Tigers New Gen made their presence felt with 12 medals, including four golds, in the 2021 Smart/MVP Sports Foundation Global Online Taekwondo Championships.
Leigh Andee Rodriguez clinched a gold medal for the Bacolod City-based taekwondo stable in the junior female flyweight black while Julio Miguel Zapata topped the junior men flyweight black.
Gadiel Estor also took home a gold for the team in the cadet male light middle-heavyweight blue while Christophe Therence Avanceña ruled the children male light-welterweight black.
Bagging silver medals were Arthur Diaz in junior male fin-flyweight black, Jerik Joseph Paiwas in cadet male lightweight black, Manuel Eduardo III Machado in cadet male fly-featherweight black, Prince Fiel delas Alas in children light-middleweight brown, and Ianne Rose Treyes junior female blue.
On the other hand, winning the bronze medal were Cipriano IV Lumanog in cadet male finweight brown, Julian Ignatius Sabay in children male featherweight brown, Josh Nathaniel Montesino in children male light middle brown, and Paulo Izac Lopez in children male-finweight brown.
Overall, NTU-Tigers New Gen had five gold, five silver and six bronze medals in the virtual event sanctioned by the Philippine Taekwondo Association after capturing one gold and two bronze medals during the poomsae category last week.
Team Phikoma Cadiz, meanwhile, also had a solid outing in the virtual tournament. They finished with 13 medals, including two golds, in the speed kicking category.
John Aethan Apostol bagged a gold in the speed kicking bantamweight junior category while Loren Joy de Leon also notched a gold in the blackbelt finweight senior division.
Maxinne Rhaine Geli, meanwhile, was the lone silver medal winner for the team of Dexter Ramas Chavez by placing second in the blackbelt finweight kids division.
Finishing with bronze medals, on the other hand, were Janwell Lunas in blackbelt finweight kids, Dexie Leen Chavez in blackbelt light heavy junior, Ana Rose Carido in blackbelt lightweight cadet, Mervonne Shayne Nicor in blackbelt heavyweight junior, Rhianne Wyeth Llaguno in blackbelt featherweight cadet, Rein Sydney Llaguno in blackbelt featherweight junior, Erich Eunin Geli in blackbelt finweight cadet, Jeincis Heward Carian in blackbelt finweight cadet, Lyr Sendico in blackbelt flyweight cadet, and Jovymar Gane in blackbelt bantamweight cadet./PN