By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The future of Philippine taekwondo is in great hands.
Tachiana Mangin, a 16-year-old jin from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) High School, halted the PHL’s 28-year gold medal drought in the World Taekwondo Junior Championships held in Chuncheon, South Korea.
Mangin displayed poise under pressure and knocked out home bet Kim Hyang-gi during the championship round, 2-1, in the women’s -49kg category.
Her illustrious victory delivered the second overall gold medal for the PHL in the World Taekwondo Juniors scene, following the footsteps achieved by Alex Borromeo who bagged gold during the 1996 edition in Barcelona.
It was a tightly contested championship match against Kim as the Filipina superstar needed a deciding round to officially step into the middle of the podium.
Mangin quickly imposed her will in the first round, 14-8, to score an early 1-0 lead but Kim found a way to level the match at 1-1 when she edged the Filipina, 4-3.
During the third and final round, Mangin was bound for a lopsided finish after taking a 6-1 advantage but with the crowd behind Kim’s back, the decider suddenly shifted to a thrilling contest as the Korean tied it at 6-all.
Composed despite the run that Kim deployed, Mangin put on the finishing touches and tallied the championship-clinching point with only three seconds remaining.
Before reaching the grand finals, Mangin took down Judith Cordoba in the Round of 32 and Thailand’s Natkamon Wassana in the Round of 16.
During the playoff phase, Mangin bested Habiba Wael Emerah in the quarterfinals and beat Lamprini Asimaki of Greece in the semifinals.
Congratulations, Tachiana Mangin! Mabuhay ang Atletang Pilipino!
