‘Overachieving’ jins keep RP team afloat in SEAG

The RP taekwondo team certainly overachieved in this 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos. Whereas coach Rocky Samson was expecting a gold medal haul of only three, the Filipino jins won more than that, finishing with a four gold, four silver and four bronze medal tally at the end of the taekwondo competitions Saturday at the Booyong gymnasium inside the National University.

“I told myself that I’ll be happy to win three gold medals," Samson said, proud that the national jins were the saving grace of the Filipinos in the first half of the biennial meet dominated by Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. “But there are matches that could have gone our way. We were hoping for two more gold medals sana. Pero okay na din. Winning four gold medals is already a big achievement." The national team won just a single gold in the 2007 SEA Games in Nakhonratchasima, Thailand in a campaign the jins also spiked with four silvers and seven bronzes. Two-time Olympians Tshomlee Go and Mary Antoinette Rivero stood at the forefront of the team’s campaign, winning the mints in the men’s featherweight and women’s welterweight categories, respectively. Also doing their share Alexander Briones (heavyweight) and the troika of Camille Alarilla, Rannie Ortega and Janice Lagman in the women’s poomsae team competition. Japoy Lizardo (flyweight) and Eunice Alora (bantamweight) could have also snared the gold medal had officiating, and a little luck, smiled the Filipinos’ way. Jeffrey Figueroa, who won the gold in the bantamweight class of the Asian Martial Arts Games a few months back, was also a big potential gold medal winner, but was ranged against Vietnam and Thailand early on and settled for the bronze. Expectations were really low and it motivated the team to work extra hard, Samson explained. “We’re not really expecting anything. We’re united in believing that the performance is more important than winning a medal. We’re playing in a subjective sport so we know that the medal is just a bonus. What is important is the performance of the athletes." “This victory is a reward to their hard work," he added. - GMANews.TV