By Nikolai Ordoña

Two Ateneo de Manila Senior High School student-athletes claimed awards from recent taekwondo competitions.

Alonzo Pasion of 11-Wright won bronze in the Smart/MVP Sports Foundation 2023 Best of the Best Taekwondo Championships’ junior men division, light-heavy category, which was held last September 2 and 3 at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City. He was coached by Joey Paja, Angelito Laga, and Elmer Rafael.

Only gold medalists from national events were qualified to join. This includes winners from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police Olympics, and competitions sanctioned by the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA).

According to the PTA, approximately 900 male and female black-belters from across the country participated in the prestigious event.

On the other hand, Elizabeth Borres of 11-Garnet also won a bronze medal in the 7th Asian Junior Taekwondo Poomsae Championships’ recognized female team event, which was held at the Nouhad Naufal Indoor Sports Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon last September 5.

Coached by Jeordan Dominguez, poomsae coach of the Ateneo college varsity, Borres is part of the MVP Sports Foundation-Philippine team and one of the 12 jins selected by the PTA to represent the country in the poomsae (forms) events. 

The said delegation is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

All in all, around 200 taekwondo practitioners from 17 countries competed in the event, including Hong Kong, India, Japan, Philippines, and South Korea.

Have someone to lean on

In an interview with Hi-Lites, Alonzo Pasion shared how he prepared for the competition. He stated that training every day and rewatching his older matches helped him improve his physical strength and reflect on where he should do better.

“Of course, time management is one of the most important things. Being able to manage my time properly between studies and training is always challenging, but it’s something I need to do as I’ve committed to these things,” Pasion said, as he expressed his gratitude to the people who came along and supported him.

“Having good people around me also helps a lot—specifically my family, friends, teammates, and coaches. These people motivate me, push me to do better, and are always there when I need someone to lean on. I’m really thankful for them because, without them, I wouldn’t be here where I am today,” he shared, as he advised his fellow student-athletes to surround themselves with a good support system.

“Make sure to surround yourself with people who support your dreams no matter what. When reaching for your goals it’s important to have people celebrate with you when you succeed, and also to fall back onto in your shortcomings,” Pasion concluded.