56 Pinoys compete in Asian junior taekwondo

MANILA, Philippines - Fifty-six talented Filipino athletes will banner the Meralco/MVP Sports Foundation/PLDT Home BRO team in the 2015 Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships on April 11-17 in New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Thirty-four of the campaigners (men, women, boys, girls) will compete in the junior and Cadet divisions in kyorugi (sparring) for Meralco and MVP Sports Foundation, while 20 will see action in the junior and Cadet categories in poomsae (forms) for PLDT Home BRO and MVP SF.  Two boys, aged 17 and 19, will participate in the Para event.

Nine officials – six coaches and three international referees – complete the delegation put together by the Philippine Taekwondo Association and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, SMART Communications Inc., PLDT and Milo.

Vying in the junior division are 15 to 17-year-old athletes while those aged 12 to 14 will compete in the Cadet group.

The Filipinos will pit their skills against athletes from 35 other Asian countries in the prestigious Asian tournament.  Among these are Korea, China, Iran, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.

The Philippines has been consistently ranked among the top contenders in this competition.  In the last Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships held on June 18-24, 2013 in Jakarta, the Filipinos brought home two gold, one silver and five bronze medals.

The competition serves as a tune up for the Filipino bets, who will also vie for honors in the Korea Open this July in Korea and the World Cadet Championships this August in Muju, Korea.

Rama Chandra Liporada (right), one of the participants in the Asian junior championships, delivers an axe kick to the face of his opponent in a recent match.