Team AAK-Philippines, led by Philippine Adam Ortiz Bondoc and Paulo Manuel Gorospe, won 23 medals, including seven golds, to finish fifth overall in the 7th Karate-do Goju-kai Association Global Championship held recently in Richmond Olympic Oval in British Columbia, Canada.
Bondoc, a Grade 11 International Baccalaureate student and 2017 PSA Junior Athlete of the Year winner, claimed the gold in the junior’s 16-17 years old division of kumite after beating Indon Shahab Alwi Faris.
Paulo, a Grade 3 student of Xavier School-Greenhills, clinched the golds in both the kata (form) and kumite in the boys’ 7-8 years division.
Other gold medal winners were Matthea Lazo of Immaculate Conception Academy (girls’ 12-13, kumite), Sakura Alforte of La Salle-Zobel (14-15 kumite), Junna Tsukii (women’s open kumite), and Ricca Torres.