By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
One of the best sports news we received before 2021 ends.
Ilonggo taekwondo jins Cyd Edryc Esmaña and Julianna Martha Uy, both under the tutelage of the renowned Iloilo Mark V. Pinggol (MVP) taekwondo gym, just shocked the whole world during the recently concluded 2021 World Taekwondo Poomsae Open Challenge II “The Battle of all the Finalists”.
Esmaña continued his dominant international stint and copped the prestigious gold medal in the Open Individual Male cadet 12-14 category.
Meanwhile, Uy, who also had her moments during her past tournaments, managed to clinch the bronze medal in the Open Individual Female cadet 12-14 category.
It was also a sight to see for the whole Iloilo Poomsae community as two Ilonggos were able to achieve such a feat.
Several months ago, Esmaña brought pride to the country and the City of Love after he won the gold medal during the 2021 World Taekwondo Asia Poomsae Open.
The Ilonggo wonder kid set one of the most impressive scores of the competition at 7.680 points and toppled the best jins from Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the jins’ head mentor, Mr. MVP himself, expressed his gratitude and happiness for how his athletes performed at such a high level.
“Finale ni sya sir sang tanan nga nag finals sang nag ligad mayo gd kay naka bawi kami. A dream come true to the entire Iloilo Poomsae team,” said coach Pinggol in an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.
