Palarong Pambansa 2024: Tigmo secures lone gold medal for CV in taekwondo

Rena Jean “RJ” Tigmo (right) and her coach Arianne Alon. | CDN Digital photo / Glendale Rosal

CEBU CITY, Philippines — When all hope seemed lost, Rena Jean “RJ” Tigmo stepped up to save the host delegation, Central Visayas, from a gold medal shutout in the tightly contested taekwondo competition of the Palarong Pambansa 2024. This pivotal event took place on Sunday evening, July 14, at the SM Seaside City Cebu.

Tigmo emerged as the sole gold medalist for Central Visayas after dominating the bantamweight 44-46 kilograms Kyorugi girls category.

The stakes were high for Tigmo, who was in her final eligible year to compete in the Palarong Pambansa, as she is already 18. Her first attempt in 2019 had ended in disappointment, as she did not win any medals in the Palarong Pambansa held in Davao City.

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However, Tigmo returned to Cebu City with renewed motivation instead of dwelling on that defeat. From that point onward, she trained relentlessly with a Palarong Pambansa gold medal as her ultimate goal.

“I didn’t win any medals then. Of course, I was sad, but I told myself there would be another chance,” said Tigmo, a varsity taekwondo jin of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters. “Now, I’ve won gold, and it feels amazing. This gold medal is for everyone in Region 7 who competed in taekwondo because we all worked hard for this.”

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Palarong Pambansa preparations

After qualifying for Region 7 in the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) meet last May, Tigmo and her fellow taekwondo jins trained intensively due to the short preparation window for Palarong Pambansa.

“My first Palarong Pambansa in Davao was my first experience. This time, I worked really hard to achieve this. Winning a gold medal at the Palarong Pambansa has always been my ultimate dream. Now that I’ve achieved it, I have new dreams to pursue,” Tigmo said.

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She is now setting her sights on debuting in the Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) meet next year as she enters college.

Ultimate goal

Tigmo’s path to winning a gold medal was anything but easy. She had to defeat the powerhouse National Capital Region (NCR) in her first bout, then proceeded to overcome Davao Region in the quarterfinals. Tigmo advanced to the gold medal round by besting Region 3, and finally, she triumphed over Region 10 to secure the elusive gold medal.

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“I didn’t expect to win gold, but this was my ultimate goal, and I gave it my all. It was gold or nothing because this is my last year at the Palaro,” Tigmo added.

Arianne Alon, Tigmo’s coach, was impressed by her athlete’s determination to win the gold medal.

“RJ, as we call her, is a very dedicated athlete—responsible, hardworking, and respectful,” said Alon. “I told her to secure at least a bronze, but she told me, ‘No, ma’am, gold it is.’ I believed in her because she has great confidence in herself, and that made me believe in her as well.”

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