Philippine poomsae squad shines in world event

MANILA, Philippines — The Smart/MVP Sports Foundation National Poomsae Taekwondo Team captured five medals topped by the gold medal performance of Ernesto Guzman Jr. in the individual male -50 class in the recent 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Goyang, South Korea.

The pair of Justin Kobe Macario and Juvenile Faye Crisostomo finished second in freestyle mixed pair +17 while the tandem of Ian Matthew Corton and Maria Nicole Anne Labayne showed grit and grace in recognized mixed pair -17 for the team’s second silver.

The Filipino jins proved to be a force to reckon with in the event participated in by 64 countries, including powerhouse Chinese-Taipei, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Brazil, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia, Poland, Vietnam, Venezuela, Singapore, Denmark, Switzerland, Qatar, the United States and host South Korea.

Darius Venerable and Rodolfo Reyes Jr. clinched the bronze medal in the freestyle individual male +17 and recognized individual male -30, respectively.

The team is supported by the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).