Cebuano jins support Alora’s Rio campaign

THE CEBUANO taekwondo community is supporting the Philippines’ lone bet in taekwondo in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, Kirstie Elaine Alora.

The 26-year-old Olympian from Laguna will start her bid in the +67 kg weight class of the quadrennial meet on Aug. 20 at the Carioca Arena 3.

“Of course we will support her, she is our lone rep in taekwondo,” Philippine Taekwondo Association Region 7 Director Tony del Prado told Cebu Daily News.

Alora was training under renowned Filipino jin and now coach Roberto Cruz.

Alora secured her Olympic berth after three tries when she got to the championship round of the Asian Olympic Qulifying Tournament last April. She dropped to Cambodia’s Seavmy Sorn to settle for second place, which was good enough for a slot in Rio.

She, however, will face an acid test early as she takes on 2008 Beijing gold medalist Maria Espinoza of Mexico in her first match.

Alora’s co-trainee from the Philippine National Team, Cebu pride Nica Garces, believes that the multi-medalist jin will give all she’s got in sports’ grandest stage.

“I can see she’s so determined to win because even when we fought in (South) Korea, she continued training,” said Garces, who recently won a silver medal in the 2016 Korea Open tournament.

“Our support for her is 100 percent,” the 17-year old Garces added.

Alora, along with golfer Miguel Tabuena, Cebuana marathoner Mary Joy Tabal, hurdler Eric Cray, and long-jumper Marastella Torres are the country’s remaining bets in the Olympics after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz snatched the country’s first medal—a silver— since 1996 last Monday.