GOLD WINNER. Welterweight John Angelo Pascual (center) holds the Philippine flag during the awarding ceremony of the Kyorugi (sparring) junior men's category in the 16th ASEAN Taekwondo Championships at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City on Saturday (March 11, 2023). The medals were awarded by Indonesian referee Mulyadi (foreground). (Contributed photo)
MANILA – Host Philippines captured six more gold medals in the junior division of the Kyorugi (sparring) discipline in the 16th ASEAN Taekwondo Championships on Saturday.
Aldrich Paul Merin (men's finweight), Kurt Mykel Curata (men's bantamweight), Ocean Domingo (men's lightweight), John Angelo Pascual (men's welterweight), Tachiana Mangin (women's featherweight), and Chloe Madison Chua (women's light middleweight) all prevailed, much to the delight of the cheering crowd at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.
The Filipinos also won seven more silver medals courtesy of Rihannah Caguioa (women's finweight), Rodito Sinugbojan Jr. (men's flyweight), Ethan Jervey Chavez (men's bantamweight), Noel Victorio Macasaet (men's featherweight), Gian Carlo Fernandez (men's middleweight), Justin Paul Atienza (men's light heavyweight), Arsha Rijah Valenzuela (women's light heavyweight), and Mark Clarence Castro (men's heavyweight).
The bronze medalists were Michael Cabaluna Jr. (finweight), Miguel Zapata and Paul Jacob Daleon (flyweight), Kyle Chin (bantamweight), Roland Montecalvo II (featherweight), Vince Raiane Santianez (lightweight), Jean Sebastian Durana and John Benedict Santos (welterweight), John Renzo Balido and Joshua Emmanuel Deita (light middleweight), and Brandon Lee Milton (middleweight) in the men's division; and Nicole Macatangay Sanchez (finweight), Shallyne Joy Tallog (flyweight), Samantha Nicole Siboc and Raeka Gamboa Perez (bantamweight), Mary Noelle Alim (featherweight), Kurtney Lexanne Calderon (lightweight), Princess Mitch Salaguban and Tionna Althea Quesada (welterweight), Florianne Limbo (light middleweight), and Sally Mae Aguirre and Sofia Nathalie De Villa (middleweight) in the women's division.
Vietnam topped the second of the three-day tournament with 12 gold, 10 silver and two bronze medals.
The gold medalists were finweight Bui Van Dai, featherweight Tran Trinh Trong, light middleweight Do Anh Tuan, middleweight Nguyen Doan Quan, and light heavyweight Hoang Binh Minh in the men's division; and finweight Nguyen Tien Ngoc Xuan Dao, bantamweight Nguyen Thi Mai, lightweight Do Nguyen Thuy Lan, welterweight Le My Ngoc, middleweight Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, and light heavyweight Tran Thi Lan in the women's side.
Indonesia bagged one gold medal from Rayinda Syah Alexandra and one bronze from Sarah Maria Panggabean (women's flyweight), while Singapore pocketed two medals -- a silver from Ingrid Poetri Iskandar (women's light middleweight) and two bronzes from Yee Li Ming (men's lightweight) and Natalie Tor (women's lightweight).
The Philippines has so far amassed 18 gold medals after winning 12 in the opening day on Friday.
The Filipinos also started the competition with six silver and eight bronze medals.
The tournament will end Sunday with more Kyorugi events. (PNA)
