MANILA, Philippines — Nine well-trained Filipino jins are competing in the second open qualification round of the 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Championships set Oct. 26-28 in Wuxi, China.
Carrying the colors of SMART/MVP Sports Foundation in the prestigious event are Francis Aaron Agojo (-58 kilograms), Jenar Torillos (-58 kg), Arven Alcantara (-68 kg), Samuel Thomas Harper Morrison (-80 kg),and Dave Cea (-80 kg), Baby Jessica Canabal (-49 kg), Pauline Louise Lopez (-57 kg), Rhezie Aragon (-57 kg) and Darlene May Arpon (-67 kg).
Team Phl, accompanied by delegation head Dindo Simpao and coaches John Paul Lizardo and Carlos Jose Padilla V, vies against the national jins from 59 countries including Korea, France, Spain, Iran, Turkey, Chinese Tapei and the United States.
For the Philippines, the tournament serves as a tuneup for a number of big events in 2019 like the World Championships, Asian Open Championships and the Korea Open.
Supporting the Filipinos’ campaign are PLDT, Meralco, the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Milo.