It’s a triple celebration!

Three jins from Iloilo Mark V. Pinggol (MVP) Taekwondo Gym displayed a dazzling show in the 3rd Lents Taekwondo Worldwide Sports Online Poomsae Open 2021 as they snagged three medals.

Andria Margaret Palabrica, also known as “Little Mulan” had a fearless performance in the international arena after bagging the gold medal in the Poomsae KUP sixth-third individual category.

“Training is so tiring, but I remain focused. During the competition, I got really scared especially in the semifinals, where I almost didn’t make it. But then I prayed hard, and I know everything will be fine because God is with me. I owe everything to God and Sir Mark. I am really grateful. Thank you everyone who prayed for me, I will train harder to improve myself,” shared Palabrica.

Following a fresh gold medal haul of Palabrica was an added top performance from “small but terrible” jin of Ateneo de Iloilo (AdI).

Cyd Edryc Esmaña, a national team member, garnered the gold medal in the Blackbelt Cadet division. Esmaña shared he’s happy to start 2021 with a gold medal victory.

“I always thank the Lord for the talent He gave me. For the people who inspire and guide me all through out my taekwondo journey. I just gave my very best in every competition I joined. Thank you to my parents, to all my coaches, especially sir Mark and my MVP family for all the prayers and support. I always look forward to do better and embrace challenges. It is continuing learning process for me,” he added.

For Cyd’s mother, Cyril, she believes everything can be done with hard work and perseverance. I’m very happy with Cyd after winning the gold medal, finally he got it. I always feel nervous every time he competes, but I always leave it to God, if it’s for Cyd, He will make a way Thanks to his MVP head coach, Sir Mark Pinggol for always believing in my son’s capabilities and to our MVP family for all the prayers and support,” she stressed.

Completing a triple victory for the Iloilo-based team, Julianna Martha Uy pulled off a stunner with a silver medal finish in the blackbelt cadet category.

“I am very happy for Julianna as her hard work paid off. I know she really trains hard to become better in her chosen sport. But win or lose, I will always be proud of her because she remains to be passionate and determined in reaching for her dreams,” said Yanna’s mother, Jaja.

For Iloilo MVP coach Denmark Pinggol, they planned early for the tournament for the players to have better results. With the turnout, he said all are paid off.

“Since we knew that there will be 3rd Lents competition, I talked to my players and planned early for this event because we wanted to have better results compared to our previous 2nd Lents performances. This time we are so happy with the outcome of our hardwork and dedication from our training we were able to grab two gold medals and and a silver. Above all, I saw a great improvement on their skills compared last year and for me that matters most . We are also expecting the same results with our three remaining jins who will be competing for the Beach Recognized Poomsae event next week,” he added.IMT