THE ATENEO Women’s Taekwondo Team garnered two podium finishes in the Smart MVP Sports Foundation National Capital Region Speed Kicking Taekwondo Championships (MVP SF NCR) on October 17 and 18.
Leading the charge for the Blue and White were Keir Atendido and Eirenne Lumasang who nabbed bronze and gold, respectively, in the senior female black belt division. Atendido ranked fourth by amassing 6.575 points through an impressive performance. Meanwhile, Lumasang obtained a total of 6.992 points, clinching a 0.042 lead over University of the East’s Tricia Padua to obtain the top spot.
Despite being a rookie, Lumasang has made significant contributions to the Blue and White’s campaigns in online speed kicking competitions. Last September 27, she bagged a gold medal in the Philippine Taekwondo Association’s (PTA) New Face Speed Kicking Tournament. With another gold medal under her belt, Lumasang asserted her yearning to become an even better jin. “[My victories] fuel my desire to make myself worthy of being under this team and to raise Ateneo’s name in the field of taekwondo despite the limitations caused by the pandemic,” shared the Lady Jin.
The PTA’s Smart MVP SF NCR tournament was conducted fully online. Participants of the competition were asked to record 60-second videos performing at least 70 kicks and six punches. After uploading their entries on YouTube, participants were judged by a rubric that allocated 60% to the quality and level of difficulty of the kicks, and 40% to the number of kicks successfully made.
Because of the team’s victory, the Ateneo Women’s Taekwondo Team Head Coach Rafael Elmer expressed his joy towards the team’s progress in various online competitions. He viewed the tournament as a chance for the team to prepare for future face-to-face campaigns. “[The team] considers [the tournament as an] opportunity to enhance [their] speed and accuracy in kicking as well as punching. Our players have no disengaged moments as we train for our lined up competition[s] every month,” he shared.
The Ateneo Taekwondo Team is set to don the Blue and White in the Carlos Palanca Jr. Speed Kicking Taekwondo Championships on November 28 and 29.
Results:
#1 Lumasang, Eirenne – 6.992 points
#4 Atendido, Keir – 6.575 points
#7 Rabino, Alexa Raine – 6.225 points
#8 Bermejo, Julienne – 6.217 points
#9 Aquino, Summer – 5.892 points
Eirenne Lamasang:
Keir Atendido:
