MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Taekwondo Association is assembling a team capable of winning as many medals as possible in the Myanmar Southeast Asian Games in December.
The 24 talents chosen from the recent Carlos Palanca Jr. championships will be undergoing rigid training in the coming months, including a stint in the world championships in July.
The final 12 – six each in the men’s and women’s combat teams – will carry the country’s colors in the Myanmar conclave.
Coach Dindo Simpao, a member of the national coaching staff, said during Friday’s SCOOP Sa Kamayan session that two of the four gold medalists in the 2011 SEA Games in Jakarta – Joseph Paul Lizardo, winner of the men’s 58-kilogram Kyorugi, and women’s 62-kg. Kyorugi queen Elaine Alora – appear a cinch to make it, too, this year.