By REY C. LACHICA
HANGZHOU, China — The 12-man Philippine taekwondo team is hoping to conjure the magic of 2006 when the ultra-modern city of Hangzhou raises the curtain for the 19th edition of the Asian Games this Saturday.
Philippine Taekwondo Association Secretary-General Rocky Samson likes his team’s chances after players from both the Kyorugi (free sparring) and Poomsae (forms) have gone the extra mile in their effort to duplicate the two silver and three bronze medals won by the PH team during the Doha edition.
They trained and competed in various parts of the region in order to toughen up and maintain their status as one of the premier taekwondo nations.
But the amiable taekwondo official does not take the possibility that the Nationals, especially in poomsae, will go through small and big humps along the way.
“It’s going to be very challenging for them,” said Samson, himself one of the smartest fighters of his era.
That means reigning SEA Games champion King Patrick Perez and Jocel Lyn Ninobla will have to perform extraordinarily in both the recognized and free style disciplines if they are to make it to the podium.
“They are known for their skills in the recognized event so they have good chances of advancing but still they have to do better in free style,” added Samson.
The Doha edition was the country’s most successful campaign so far since the inception of the popular Korean sport in the quadrennial event in the 1986 Seoul edition.
Olympian champion Kurt Bryan Barbosa, meantime, will banner free sparring team along with multi-titled Samuel Morrison and Kirstie Ellaine Alora.
Other members of the “deadly dozen” are David Cea, Arven Alcantara, Veronica Garces and Jubilee Briones.
In the 2018 Palembang edition in Indonesia, the taekwondo jins finished 10th overall after winning three medals, including two in team events of poomsae.
The lone individual medal was accounted for by Pauline Lopez, but she won’t also be returning for this year’s chase for fame and fortune.
Apart from the Koreans, also in the mix are fighters from Iran, China, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Vietnam.
