MANILA, Philippines - Saving the best for last, Jean Pierre Sabido ruled the freestyle male individual over-17 event to give Team Philippines its third gold medal in the ninth WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships Sunday in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Sabido, a member of the team that earlier reigned in the recognized poomsae men’s team over-30 division, sustained the winning form when he vied in freestyle poomsae, posting 7.580 to beat Vietnam’s Trung Dhuoc Dai Nguyen (7.360) for the top plum.
Sabido went on to bag the MVP plum in the freestyle poomsae category, making him one of the top competitors in the 46-nation meet held over four days.
The United States’ Adalis Muñoz won MVP honors in the distaff side of FS poomsae while Korea’s Kwang Ho Park and Mexico’s Olin Yolistan Median Lopez were adjudged male and female MVPs, respectively, in the recognized poomsae play.
Sabido is bringing home two gold medals, having previously snagged the gold in recognized poomsae men’s team with Glenn Lava and Ernesto de Guzman Jr.
Lava is a double-gold winner himself as he also took part in Phl’s triumphant stint in FS mixed over-17 alongside Jeordan Dominguez, Jaylord Seridon, Janice Lagman, and Rani Ortega.
Overall, Team Phl collected three golds, two silvers and three bronzes, good for fifth place. Korea, as expected, topped the medal table with 13-1-2, followed by China (five golds, one bronze), and the USA (4-4-11). The Pinoys’ Asean rival Vietnam pocketed three golds, too, but had more silvers with six as well as five bronzes, to finish ahead at fourth.
Accounting for Phl’s silvers were De Guzman (recognized poomsae men’s under-40) and Dominguez and Jocel Lyn Ninobla (FS pair over-17). Rinna Babanto (female individual junior and freestyle female individual under-17 events), Dustin and Raphael Enrico Mella and Rodolfo Reyes Jr. (recognized male team under-30) delivered the bronzes.