By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Taekwondo Olympian Elaine Alora ended 2023 by formally announcing her retirement from national team duties.
In a Facebook post Sunday, Dec. 31, the 34-year-old middleweight jin said “it is the right time to say goodbye” after 18 years of being with the national team.
“It’s tough, it’s hard, it’s going to be a big change for me, but a challenge and change that I look forward to in my future,” Alora wrote.
“No words can describe how grateful and blessed I am with a career greater than I could have ever imagined. I’m extremely proud of the fact that I was able to play 18 years of my life doing what I truly love to do. And I’m going to miss it,” she added.
She also thanked the people behind her achievements, saying that she is looking forward to 2024 with great opportunities.
Alora already hinted that she would be retiring after the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last September, where she lost in the Round of 16 against Iran’s Anahita Tavakoli.
In May, she successfully clinched the gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Alora’s journey with the national team was highlighted by a silver medal in the 2016 Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament that earned her a berth to the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was the flag-bearer for the PH team in the closing ceremony.
The Biñan, Laguna native also won bronze medals in the 2012 and 2016 Asian Taekwondo Championships, the 2010 Guangzhou and 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
She also snagged five silver medals in the SEAG.
Aside from Alora, teammate Samuel Morrison is also retiring from the national team.
