By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Iloilo Mark V. Pinggol (MVP) taekwondo gym was a dominating force in the 2022 1st Regional Face to Face Taekwondo Poomsae Championships held in SM City, Iloilo.
After two years of virtual tournament participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MVP jins finally got the taste of face-to-face competition back and did not need much time to adjust after clinching a total of 17 medals.
An astonishing 13-gold medal overall tally went to the MVP gym while four jins delivered silver medals to cap their tournament campaign.
It was a historic event for the Philippine and Western Visayas taekwondo scenes after finally bringing back a face-to-face event amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
An estimated 120-130 taekwondo participants from all over Western Visayas flocked to SM City Iloilo in hopes of claiming poomsae supremacy.
Jenella Ashley Tionko kicked off Iloilo MVP’s winning campaign after clinching the gold medal in the Cadet Female Redbelt division.
Nathan Lee Dedal, Nieka Thalia Guevara, Sirhc Einreb Damaolao, Princess Hannah Mia Cruz, Xabriel Zia Gebucion, Arvin Kirk Derayunan, Anthony Benedict Planta, Lindsy Lorriane Degayo, Viene Marie Dulaca, and Elisha Meila Paradero also delivered gold medals in their respective categories.
Two MVP jins also notched the gold medal when they ruled the kid’s redbelt team and the kid’s bluebelt team.
Capping off MVP’s campaign are silver medalists Trisha Derren Cayanan, Amber Gale Abelar, Margarette Gem Obsequio, Alicia Sophia Gutierrez, and Phil Caleb Regalado.
Aside from their medalists, special recognitions were also given to two of MVP’s jins as Nieka Guevara was awarded the Best Player in the Kid’s Female Bluebelt Division and Elisha Meila Paradero the Best Player in Cadet Female Bluebelt division.
The event was organized by the Philippine Taekwondo Regional Management Committee 6B headed by poomsae Council Chairman Flora Navales.
