The University of Cebu (UC) sent eight taekwondo jins to the recent 12th Asean Taekwondo Federation (ATF) Championships in Hochi Minh City, Vietnam.
Five of them came home with the gold.
The five UC jins who won golds in Vietnam as part of the national taekwondo team are 16-year-old Zozen Prajes, Veronica Garces and Sal Luiji Estrada in the secondary division, and Wendil Jay Rama and Dineson Wilrej Cañeda in the elementary category.
Prajes, a gold medalist in the 2015 Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVRAA) meet in Balamban, toppled her favored Vietnamese foe to snatch the gold in the heavyweight division (60 kilograms and above).
Garces, a flyweight gold medalist in the National Milo Little Olympics, gave UC its second gold by dominating her Malaysian rival in the Finweight (42kgs) finals.
Estrada, a multiple gold medalist in national and international competitions, showed why he’s considered one of the best in the country today by humbling his Vietnamese counterpart to snag the gold medal in the Featherweight (25kg-below) category.
Rama tallied gold number four for the Cebuanos by topping the 32kg elementary finweight division, beating another Vietnamese for the gold while Cebu’s final gold was delivered in emphatic fashion by Cañeda, who snared the Bantamweight division (41kgs) gold against his Vietnamese rival.
Meanwhile, 24th Cebu City Olympics bantamweight champion Mayn Yengele Coran managed to snatch the silver medal in the Flyweight division.
IMPRESSIVE RESULTS
UC athletic director Bernard Ricablanca, expressed his elation over the impressive results of his athletes’ campaign in Vietnam, saying this is another glory for the school just days after one of their law students made it into the top five in the Bar exams.
“We are very happy with the result kay it’s a very nice exposure for them prior to playing in the coming Palarong Pambansa in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. We at UC, with Atty. Augusto Go at the helm, will always give our full support to them,” Ricablanca said.
The victorious jins were expected to arrive in the country yesterday. They will pay a courtesy call on Atty. Go this Monday.
“Mo courtesy call sila ni Atty. Go this Monday and I will ask Atty. Go to give the athletes incentives for their feat kay they brought honor not only to UC but also to the country,” Ricablanca added.