By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Olympian Kirstie Alora displayed her wealth of experience and captured the gold medal in her weight class in the 2023 Chuncheon Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships in South Korea over the weekend.
Alora, also a four-time Southeast Asian Games champion, added another mint in her growing collection after edging hometown bet Jung Sugee, 2-0, to rule the senior women’s +73kg division.
Seeded fifth in the 16-player field, Alora first downed another Korean foe in Yoon Do hee, 2-1, before stunning top seed Reba Stewart of Australia, 2-1.
Meanwhile, Jessica Canabal yielded to Korean Lee Jachee, 2-0, to settle for the silver medal in the women’s -53kg division.
The fifth-seeded Canabal earned an opening-round bye before blanking Kazakhstan’s Aidana Sundetbay, 2-0, then bested another Kazakh foe in Aziza Karajanova, 2-1, and Vietnamese Vu Thing dung, 2-1, before falling to Lee.
Other Filipino bets Kent John Banzon, Dex Ian Chavez, Clarence Sarza, Laila Delo, Joseph Chua, Sturdy Gilbuena, Justin Mark Agno, Dave Cea, Samuel Morrison, Veronica Garces, Ryshel Ramirez, Jubilee Briones and Nicole Ann McCann failed to make it to the podium in their respective weight divisions.
