Aaron Agojo

TALENT AND hard work got Blue Jins Aaron Agojo to compete in a lot of places in the world. It has reached a point where consistently performing for the country at the international stage has become nothing new to him.

He’s one of the elite in his class with his recent gold medal at the 2014 Student World Championship in Mongolia last August, and his silver medals at the 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and 2013 Asian Championships at Myanmar and Indonesia, respectively. He also garnered the gold medal at the Korean Open back in October 2012.

As the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea move in closer, Agojo continues to train and work hard to represent the country in this future meet. Despite his padded résumé, he understands that there’s no room to relax. “This Asian Games will be a very challenging fight since some of my opponents are veterans and Olympians.”

Aside from the 2014 Asian Games, Agojo is also gearing up for the 2015 SEA Games. His previous experiences have driven him to continue to train harder after last year’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines season, to prepare for the next competition. He expressed that it was also his 2013 SEA Games experience that brought out the best in him, with a rigorous twice-a-day training. While the 2015 roster has yet to be finalized, Agojo isn’t holding back on constant improvement. With the competition getting tougher every year, the veteran fighter shares that he’ll be ready to step up for the Philippines given the opportunity.

With the standards set high for Agojo, he seeks to eventually reach the peak of competitive sports. Agojo sees the upcoming 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro as the greatest stage that will fully test his capabilities. He states that it’s the ultimate destination for any athlete and that he’s working hard to get there.

“Being qualified for the Olympics is a long process. You need to gather points in different competitions. I also hope that I can join the Asian qualifying tournament and win a medal because it is one of the major [qualifications] to compete in the Olympic games.”

With his massive performances in and out of the country in the past few years, don’t be surprised if the name “Francis Aaron Agojo” flashes soon on the podium at Rio de Janeiro.

Thea Bermejo

“SMALL BUT terrible” is an understatement when describing Jins rookie Thea Bermejo. The younger sister of former Blue Jin and former Philippine team representative Red Bermejo has made a name for herself with the number of awards she’s racked up.

She has already proven to be a veteran fighter due to international competitions in taekwondo she has participated in, making one of Ateneo’s reliable players. When Bermejo was in high school, she garnered a gold medal from the 11th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Taekwondo Federation Championships in Myanmar in 2013. She also represented the country in the 7th Asian Juniors Taekwondo Championships in Jakarta last June 2013, where she finished with a bronze medal. To follow up the multitude of awards she has received, she was also awarded with the gold medal in the 6th World Taekwondo Culture Expo in Korea held last 2012.

Last March, the computer science freshman bagged the silver medal for the 42kg weight division at the 10th World Junior Taekwondo Championship in Taipei, losing the gold medal during the sudden death round to Abigail Stones of the United Kingdom. “It was a great experience, especially facing opponents from other countries. It was a privilege actually. “

Bermejo bested international athletes from countries such as Egypt, South Korea, Iran and most notably, Thailand, where taekwondo was known to have originated from.

Her prior experience at the international stage proved its worth as it paved the way for her silver medal win at the recently concluded University Athletic Association of the Philippines Taekwondo Championships with a 4-2 record.

With the 2015 Southeast Asian Games looming, she says that she will try to make it to the final team’s lineup. But with her record being nothing but top-notch and excellent up to this point, it would not be a surprise to see her with the rest of the national athletes next year.

When asked if she is gunning for the 2016 Rio Olympics in the long run, she answered, “That is something I don’t know. It’s too big, but why not?”

Whether or not she does make it to the Olympics on time, this young gun is sure to win for the Ateneo and the Philippines for years to come.

Tinelle Palecpec

BEING NEW to the world stage is not an excuse for Arnis player Tinelle Palecpec. The psychology junior won a silver medal in the Thang-ta Championship, an Indian martial art that uses swords and shields, at the recently concluded World Martial Arts Festival in South Korea.

Palecpec was not alone in her journey as fellow Ateneans also attained success in the competition. Literature sophomore Raelene Tang and Echie Hernandez (BS COMTECH ‘11) were both able to secure bronze medals while alumnae Hannah Donato (BS COMTECH ‘12) and Georgia Uy (AB COM ‘13) were able to accompany Palecpec on the podium with a second place finish.

Palecpec’s successful debut in international competition with her teammates gave her newfound motivation and the drive to train harder and perfect her craft. “We’re gonna join again next year, and then hopefully we could do better next year because now we know what the judges are expecting,” Palecpec shares in a mix of English and Filipino.

Being an Atenean student-athlete and balancing it with national team training takes a toll on a person, especially when he or she has to leave school to compete. Despite this being her first time participating in a competition abroad, Palecpec made sure that her academics were not neglected. She says that she wanted all of her work accomplished in order for her to be fully focused on her competition. She emphasized how there was no room for distractions in the world stage because of the importance of representing the country. “I just did the preparations before we went to Korea. I did everything I had to do for that week.”

With Arnis being the national sport of the Philippines, she aims for more people to try it and become more aware of it. “I hope the sport itself, rather the martial art itself, gets more known to the public.”

Besides competing, the Arnis national team also has done their part in spreading awareness of the sport through talks and conferences regarding martial arts appreciation. Physical Education Director Richard Gialogo, PhD led the country by presenting his research on the role of Arnis in the Philippines during the World Martial Arts Festival.

Palecpec shares in a mix of English in Filipino, “You really feel the Philippine pride because we’re really representing the Philippines for what it’s supposedly known for.”

With the way her training and mindset are directed, it’s only a matter of time until she and the rest of the Ateneo’s Arnis program’s products will be one of the faces of the national sport.