PHIL. TAEKWONDO TEAM BRACES FOR SEA GAMES
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 02 Mar 2013
MANILA (PNA) -- Instead of sulking over the impact in the reduction of events in the coming 27th Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine Taekwondo Association is assembling a team capable of winning as many medals possible in the Myanmar edition of the biennial meet this December.
The 24 talents gathered from the recent Carlos Palanca Jr. championships will be undergoing rigid training in the coming months, including a stint in the world championships in July. From this batch will come the final 12 ? six each in the men?s and women?s combat teams ? that will carry the country?s colors in the Myanmar conclave.
Coach Dindo Simpao, a member of the national coaching staff, said during Friday?s SCOOP Sa Kamayan session that two of the four gold medalists in the lasts SEA Games in Jakarta in 2011 ? Joseph Paul Lizardo, winner of the men?s 58-kilogram Kyorugi,and women?s 62-kg. Kyorugi queen Elaine Alora ? appear cinch to make it, too, this year.
The third winner the last time around, Camille Manalo, according to Simpao, opted to beg off due to injury, but the void left by her could be aptly filled in by those who survived the tough grind undergone by the candidates, including a pair of evaluation process conducted by the coaching staff made up of Noel Veneracion, Rocky Samson, himself and poomsae mentors Tem Igor and Stephen Fernandez.
?The bottom line, as we?ve been instructed, is to form the strongest teams possible in order to help the national delegation lessen the impact of the scrapping and adding of many events in this year?s SEA Games calendar,? Simpao said during the session, sponsored by AKTV and FILA.
?And with the emergence of old and fresh talents in the last CPJ competitions we held, I believe we can attain that,? Simpao assured.
?We won four gold medals, including the women?s poomsae team, in Jakarta, so the goal is to improve on it, add maybe two or three more o mahigit pa para ma-ease an effect nung pagbawas at pagdagdag ng events,? Simpao explained.
The PH women?s gold winner was made up of Francesca Camille Alarilla, Ma. Carla Janice Lagman and Rani Ann Ortega. Like, Manalo though, Alarilla opt to beg off as she is currently pursuing a law degree.
Rookie Mikaela Calamba has taken her place in the team.
?If we can translate our three silver medals won two years ago, then we have a chance to really achieve our goal,? Simpao reasoned out in reference to the second place finishes fashioned out by the Marvin Vidal/Shaneen Sia tandem in poomsae mixed doubles and Jose Anthony Soriano and Alexander Briones.
Soriano and Briones have both retired, but Simpao said the bumper crops discovered during the CPJ championships, including Fil-Am middleweight Krisoffer Uy and ASEAN welterweight champion Christian dela Cruz, can very well fill in the shoes left by both. Uy and Dela Cruz accompanied their coach in the public service forum.
The 2011 team had, likewise, brought home five bronze medals, making taekwondo the winningest contingent in the 26th edition of the biennial meet.
Those who also made it in the list are Paul Romero, Gershon Bautista, Samuel Morrison, Aaron James Garita, Matheo Padilla, Benjamin Sembrano, Jennar Torillos, Aaron Agojo and Gio de Dios in the men?s Kyorugi; and Korina Palladin, Abygail Cham, Peulene Lopez, Jade Zafra, Jane Zafra, Mary Anjelay Pelaez, Ma. Isabel Mora, Leguh Nuguid, Inna Dionisio, Melanie Hope Douglas and Cleio Marie Banez.
Two more international stints outside of the World Championships ? the ASEAN Championships, also in Myanmar in May and the Asian Juniors in June ? have been lined up by the PTA as part of the run up to the Myanmar Games.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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