Babanto banners triumphant Cebu jins in Palanca tikefest

CEBU, Philippines – Multi-titled Cebuana jin Rinna Babanto offsetted Team Cebu City's so-so performance in the poomsae division by shining brightly in the seniors division of the 2015 Carlos Palanca Jr.Taekwondo Championships last Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Memorial Stadium in Manila.

Team Cebu City's sparring team also performed beyond expectations resulting to eight of its members being named to the national squad for two international events.

In the poomsae or forms, Babanto, now a college varsity of De la Salle University, won gold in the authorized poomsae and a silver on her first try in the seniors division.

Though already a world champion, Babanto still felt a bit nervous competing against other seasoned poomsae artists, but she managed to perform with grace under pressure to earn the judges' nod.

Babanto defeated Jocel Ninobla for the gold, while Juvy Crisostomo and Nikki Oliva both settled for bronze.

After a short rest, Babanto grabbed a silver medal as bonus under the pairs competition along with Rico Mella.

Fellow Cebuano athlete McAvyngyr Alob, who is also with DLSU, added gold through the juniors category.

Mikaela Calamba, the first Pinay world champion in freestyle poomsae, was also in action, but missed the podium.

Team Cebu City still got some golds though in poomsae behind the efforts Aidaine Laxa in the cadet idividual, Kobe Hayrana in the pairs division, and Nichole Maurin and Clement Tan in the junior pairs.

Hayrana and Cheyena de la Fuente also won a silver each in the individual event, Lee Navales wound up with bronze in the juniors, while the tandem of Maegan Bugarin and Moses Bullecer picked up a bronze in the seniors pair.

TCC's sparring team, on the other hand, handed out four golds, four silvers and one bronze.

Nica Garces topped the combined junior fin-flyweight class, Luiji Estrada stamped his class i the featherweight division, while Denison Cañeda and Sharmaine Albarracin ruled in the cadet class.

TCC bagged a silver through Mayn Coran, Royla Ranili, Wendil Rama and Lanz Seares, while Zozen Prajes got a bronze.

With that, Garces, Coran, Cañeda, Albarracin, Estrada, Wendil Rama, Ranile and Prajes will be sent to Saigon for the ASEAN Taekwondo Championships next month.

The same cast except for Rama, Ranile and Prajes has also been named to represent the country in the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Taipei this April.

"Our sparring team performed way beyond expectations. From just two national team members, we now have eight. Poomsae, on the other hand, came up short. Sometimes, we need to fail to succeed. We should learn from this and draw motivation from it," said PTA regional chairman Tony del Prado. (FREEMAN)