FINISHING WITH one silver and one bronze medal apiece, Javier and Women’s Team Captain James Macasaet charged past the Kyorugi bouts at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Taekwondo tournament.

The Ateneo Men’s and Women’s Taekwondo Teams made their strong appearance in the tournament last November 28 to 29 at the Marikina Sports Complex in the City of Marikina.

Women’s Sparring

Trying to establish their presence from the onset, the Ateneo Women’s Taekwondo Team kicked off their campaign against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. The team started on a positive note as Keir Atendido grabbed their first win over her Fighting Maroon counterpart. However, Kenshin Bonos and James Macasaet failed to follow suit as they bowed to their respective opponents, ultimately conceding to UP in the team matchup, 1-2.

After falling in the opening match, the Blue Eagles faced a tall order in bouncing back as they went up against defending champions University of Santo Tomas (UST) Female Tiger Jins. Bonos delivered with a much-needed win, but Atendido and James Macasaet fell to their Female Tiger Jin foes as Ateneo dropped the match, 1-2.

In their second-day opener versus the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, the Blue Eagles followed the same trend, stumbling to the Tamaraws, 1-2. Despite Atendido prevailing in her fight, Bonos and James Macasaet were dealt consequential losses.

Ateneo’s succeeding opponents were perennial taekwondo powerhouse National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Green Jins, whom they also both succumbed to, 1-2. James Macasaet proved to be the bright spot in both matches, successfully winning points for the team. The team captain finished the tournament with a 2-3 win-loss slate in the overall standings in the featherweight division, good for a triple tie for bronze. To decide who goes up to the final podium place, the veteran Blue Eagle fought NU and UP in a single round-robin playoff, wherein James Macasaet outlasted both rivals to bring home the medal to the Loyola Heights.

Finishing with an identical 2-3 record, Atendido also had a chance to snatch a top-three finish. The Blue Eagle jin won her initial playoff match versus FEU but ultimately missed out on a medal as she faltered against her Lady Green Jin foe. 

Men’s Sparring

Over on the Men’s division, despite their valiant efforts to subdue the FEU Tamaraws, the Blue Eagle troupe fell short of pacifying their opponents. Featherweight fighter Javier Macasaet produced a hard-fought victory in his matchup to draw one point on Ateneo’s team tie of victories. On the other hand, Jins Rynne Barrios, Paul Emmanuel Borja, and Carl Williams staggered in their stances to concede the team win to FEU. 

Seeking redemption as they returned to the mat, the Blue and White arranged themselves aggressively against the National University (NU) Bulldogs. Until the end of their bouts, the Blue Eagle lineup displayed admirable composure amidst NU’s unforgiving pressure around the square. Ultimately, it was defending champions NU who stood tall, and defeated Ateneo.

Looking to turn things around, Javier Macasaet returned with vengeance in Ateneo’s succeeding bouts against the UST Tiger Jins. Fighting with adept kicks and a skillful bait-react tactic, the Blue Eagle outlasted his opponent as he landed adept kicks with a skillful bait-react tactic. However, the Katipunan-based team fell to UST’s clever attack deception in their third team matchup.

Bouncing back from their early losses, the Blue and White paced confidently as they took on the UP Fighting Maroons. Javier Macasaet and Williams closed in on their adversaries with their masterfully aimed attacks to the head and body, both winning two team points for Ateneo. On the other hand, Barrios and Borja both struggled to find openings in their moving targets, keeping Ateneo winless in the rankings.

In their final appearance of the season, the Blue Eagles still geared up with honorable grit against the Green Jins of DLSU. Though the team could not gain the upper hand against Taft’s squad of archer attackers, Javier Macasaet earned another victory for the team which consequently gave him an individual silver medal. This final loss against the Taft-based squad placed Ateneo sixth in the standings after two days of Kyorugi action.

Eager to kick past their contenders in next year’s UAAP competition, the Ateneo Taekwondo Teams will return next season with renewed synergy as they close their Season 86 campaign with two hard-earned medals.