THE ATENEO Taekwondo Team finished their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 campaign today at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the City of Manila.
The Poomsae teams bagged mixed results throughout their campaign, making appearances in the finals in three of five categories but missed out on medals. Meanwhile, the Men’s Kyorugi team concluded their winless stint after a 3-4 heartbreaker against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Jins and a sweep by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Jins.
Individual Female Poomsae
Team Captain Elaine Borres started out Ateneo’s Poomsae campaign with registered semifinal scores of 8.340 in the Keumgang form and 8.36 in the Taebaek form. Both her performances were enough to send her to the finals after finishing in fourth place.
Borres then turned her game up a notch in the finals, ending the round with scores of 8.48 and 8.64 in the Shipjin and Taeguk 7 forms, respectively. Despite her commendable efforts, the skipper missed out on the podium as she ended her run in fourth place.
Individual Male Poomsae
Joaquin Tuzon kept the momentum going for the Blue and White as he finished third in the semifinals, securing another Ateneo finals berth with scores of 8.48 and 8.64 in the Taeguk 8 and Koryo forms, respectively.
The jin’s consistency continued to shine through in the final round after he notched 8.60 in the Pyongwon form and 8.64 in the Jitae form. Ultimately, Tuzon fell short of the podium, but still performed admirably as he captured Ateneo’s second consecutive fourth-place finish in the Poomsae category.
Mixed Pair Poomsae
The pairing of John Daniel Valencerina and Martina Gaelle Ventura fell short of qualifying for the final round after missing the cut in fifth. The duo accumulated a score of 8.34 and a score of 8.38 in the Taebaek and Pyongwon forms, respectively.
Team Female Poomsae
The trio of Borres, Ventura, and Mariea Elyja Komicho continued Ateneo’s bid for a medal in the first team category. The team attained a 8.54 in the Taebaek routine and a 8.50 in the Taeguk 8 routine to place fourth and secure their ticket to the finals.
In the final round, the Blue Eagles attained a score of 8.56 with their Taeguk 7 form and 8.40 in the Keumgang form. However, their valiant efforts were just enough for another fourth-place run, with Ateneo barely missing out on another podium.
Team Male Poomsae
Meanwhile, the Katipunan-based unit sent out their first delegation in the male poomsae event in two years, with Tuzon, Valencerina, and Wreily Canao representing the Blue Eagles. Despite missing the final round with their sixth-place finish, The trio’s respectable performances earned them a 8.48-rated Taebaek routine and a 8.46 in the Shipjin form.
Men’s Match vs. FEU
Entering their penultimate match, the Blue Eagles were ready to secure their first victory against FEU. Despite a series of gritty performances, the Blue Eagles could not overcome their adversaries from Morayta as they suffered a close 3-4 loss.
Team Captain Angelo Santiago started the Blue and White’s first match, with his patient approach helping him overcome a first round loss and sweep past his opponent in the next two rounds to put Ateneo up 1-0 in the team-tie.
Following their skipper’s performance was Rynne Barrios. His bout was cut short in the first round, however, after he sustained an apparent injury. Coupled with another untimely injury to Gabe Samson, Ateneo was given a loss by default and was set back in the team-ties, 1-2.
Shortly after, Canao came out swinging en route to a sweep with his aggressive style of punches and hits to chalk up another point for the Blue Eagles. Carl Williams then continued his momentum from yesterday, giving Ateneo back the team lead with his patented flashy kicks, 3-2.
Although having the win within arm’s reach, Carlos David was unable to bring it home for the Blue Eagles, with his adversary dominating both rounds of the bout. Despite the team scores being tied at 3-3, the match was ruled a 3-4 loss for the Blue Eagles due to a lack of players in the initial lineup.
Men’s Match vs. UST
Heading to the mats one last time, the Blue and White went blow for blow with the UST Tiger Jins. With the Blue and White even more shorthanded, they ended their season winless as they were swept by their España-based counterparts, 0-6.
Santiago could not find any openings to take control of the match, as his patient and calculated style was not enough to contain his opponent, putting Ateneo down 0-1.
With Barrios and Samson’s forfeitures further plunging the Blue and White down in the team-tie, Canao’s heroics also ended up futile as it sent the Katipunan-based squad even deeper in a 0-4 hole.
Despite the rout, Williams’ class continued to deliver a commendable performance, utilizing his kicks to take an early lead in his individual match. Despite Williams’ aggressive showing, it was not enough to match his España-based adversary’s offensive counter pressure toward the last two rounds, sending the Blue Eagles on the verge of a sweep, 0-5.
Finding no answers to UST, the Blue Eagles were consigned to a landslide loss at 0-6, after David suffered a quick loss due to points.
Tiebreaker match for Individual medal
Closing off the Women’s Kyorugi event, Team Captain James Macasaet ended her individual campaign in a tie for second place against the representative of the UST Lady Jins.
In spite of her Herculean efforts to outlast her opponent, the skipper could not manage a point’s lead, forcing a judge’s decision which ended in favor of the España-based competitor. Despite the loss, Macasaet’s efforts were still rewarded with a bronze medal.
The teams concluded their run in Season 87 by earning three fourth-place finishes in the different Poomsae categories. Highlighting Ateneo’s efforts, Macasaet achieved a bronze for the Women’s Kyorugi team, while Williams nabbed bronze for the Men’s team—giving the Blue and White a positive knot to end their Season 87 campaign.
Men’s Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Green Jins (5-0)
- NU Bulldogs (4-1)
- UST Tiger Jins (3-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-3)
- FEU Jins (1-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-5)
Women’s Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (5-0)
- UST Lady Jins (4-1)
- DLSU Lady Jins (3-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-3)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-4)
- FEU Lady Jins (0-5)
