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King Borlongan is FEU's taekwondo king


As far as he could remember, Far Eastern University (FEU) taekwondo jin King Borlongan had always dreamed of becoming a winner in the sport. Borlongan, who hails from Malolos, Bulacan, proved to be a vital cog in helping the FEU get an immaculate 5-0 record recently en route to powering the Tamaraws to their very first men's taekwondo title in the UAAP. "Matagal ko nang pinangarap na mag-champion," Borlongan told GMANews.TV. "Especially sa FEU kasi di talaga nila makayang talunin nuon pa ang UST. Pero naging maganda ang preparation naming nung off-season. Hard work talaga kaya nakuha namin yung championship," Borlongan told GMANews.TV. FEU halted UST's five-year domination of the sport in the men's side, showing to all that the Tamaraws are the next rising power in taekwondo. The FEU male jins' sensational title romp came after bowling over Ateneo (4-3), De La Salle (4-3), University of the East (6-1), University of the Philippines (6-1), and University of Santo Tomas (4-3). Coming into the season, UST suffered a manpower meltdown after losing veteran Olympian Tshomlee Go, Alex Briones, and Juan Mendoza, whose UST playing days were already over. Campaigning in the 58-kilogram class, Borlongan was unfazed, despite the fact that he had to face heavier opponents in the course of the two-day tournament. "Di rin madali yung dinaanan ko kasi mas mabibigat sa akin yung mga kalaban ko. Pero nagsikap kami saka tiwala din sa Diyos. Malaking bagay yung mga tinuturo sa amin ni Ma'm Veronica (Domingo)," he added. Domingo is a two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and bronze medalist in the 2006 Doah Asian Games. She provided the mental toughness and much-needed pointers to her FEU wards beofere the UAAP taekwondo tournament. Coming from a poor family of five siblings, Borlongan said his next step is to improve his craft in the hope of landing a spot in the national team. "Feeling ko malayo pa ako sa dream ko na makapaglaro ako sa national team pero pagsisikapan ko pa ring maabot yun. Marami kasing magagaling sa national team," the FEU Special Education (SPED) junior said. Before this year's UAAP taekwondo competitions, Borlongan took the silver in the Samsung Best of the Best tournament in the 58-kg division. He said once his playing days are over, he also dreamed of becoming a teacher in a school for special children because children are also close to his heart. – Richard Dy, GMANews.TV
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