Int’l campaigners run show in taekwondo tiff

MANILA, Philippines - Veteran international campaigners Elaine Alora of Delta and Jade Zafra of the University of Santo Tomas lived up to expectations by bagging a gold medal each in the recent Smart CPJ (Carlos Palanca Jr.) taekwondo championship at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Alora beat UST’s Jane Rafaelle Narra to capture the middle gold while Zafra toppled UST’s Arianne Asegurado to take the feather crown in the senior women’s competition.

The other senior women’s gold medalists were UST’s Korina Paladin in fin, Lyceum’s Levita Ronna Ilao (fly), UST’s Bianca Go (bantam), San Beda’s Jessica Diane Castil (light) and Delta’s Patricia Francesca Gonzalez.

Delta’s Keno Anthony Mendoza and UST’s Paul Romero led the senior men’s gold medalists.  Mendoza beat Ateneo’s Aaron Agojo in the fly division while Romero outfought Rizal Province’s Lorenz Chavez in the bantam competition.

The other senior men’s titlists were UE’s Jenar Torrijo (fin), DLSU’s Benjamin Keith Sembrano (feather), UST’s Christian Al dela Cruz (light), Ateneo’s Joel Alejandro (welter), and UP’s Gio de Dios (middle).

Cebu  bets dominated the poomsae (forms) competition by winning six gold medals.

The Cebuano champions were Clement Tan in cadet male, Aidaine Laxa, cadet female; Mc Avengyr Alob, junior male; Maegan Bugarin, junior female; Kobe Hayrana/Aidaine Laxa, pair cadet; and Mc Avengyr Alob/Nichole Maurin, pair junior.

The other poomsae winners were UST’s Marvin Gabriel, senior 1A male; FEU’s Juvenile Crisostomo, senior female; R2 TcTTC’s Jaylord Seridon, senior 1B male; R2 TcTTC’s Ernesto Guzman Jr., senior 2; and Powerflex’s Rodolfo Reyes Jr./Pauline Alarilla, pair senior.