The De La Salle Taekwondo (DELTA) Poomsae team rose above all other teams as they clinched the championship once more in the recently concluded UAAP Season 82 Taekwondo and Poomsae Tournament held last October 14 to 18 at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym.
Meanwhile, the DELTA Kyurogi Men’s team greatly improved this season as they obtained the silver medal finish behind the NU Bulldogs. On the other hand, the DELTA Kyurogi Women’s team failed to grab a podium finish as they settled for fourth place in this year’s tournament.
DELTA Poomsae makes it back-to-back
Coming into the season as the defending champions, the DELTA Poomsae made sure that the championship title will still remain in Taft. The team bested all other teams to defend their title, clinching the gold medals once more for both of the individual categories. Both former rookie of the year Patrick Perez and team captain Angelica Gaw bagged gold medals for the Individual event. Meanwhile, the squad’s representatives for the Pairs and Women’s Group Event both won silver medals.
The DELTA Poomsae did not only prepare physically, but also had to strengthen their mental courage. “We had this growth mindset instead of the fixed mindset. We weren’t there to just perform and finish our game. We were there to give our best and to aim for the Championship,” Gaw mentioned.
DELTA Kyurogi finish in contrasting results
Finishing at fifth place last season, the men’s team of the DELTA Kyurogi made an impact this season as they finished second in the tournament, ending their campaign with a 5-1 win-loss record.
“Sobrang saya kasi ‘yun nga fifth tapos ngayon, second. ‘Di namin inexpect na ganito kalayo yung inabot namin so masaya,” team captain Kyle Arsenal shared.
(We’re very happy because we were fifth place previously and this year, second. We didn’t expect to make it this far, so we’re happy.)
On the other hand, the DELTA Kyurogi Women’s team failed to attain a podium finish this season as they settled with fourth, finishing their season with a 3-3 win-loss record.
Despite the result, team captain Shannelle Romuar commended her team’s effort, “Kahit fourth kami, sobrang proud namin kasi ang daming rookies na nag step up sa game, tapos parang talagang inilaban talaga nila.”
(Although we ended at fourth place, we’re very proud because the rookies really stepped up in the game, and they really fought for a good result.)
Injuries plagued the DELTA Kyurogi Women’s team as Lovely Avancena and Akila Boloto both sustained injuries while they were competing. Head coach Roberto Cruz was satisfied with his other players as they showed camaraderie and played for their fallen teammates, “Mga key players rin ‘yung mga nagkaroon ng injury so syempre importante kasi yung bawat panalo eh. Mabuti nalang sumuporta yung iba.”
(It’s the key players that sustained the injuries and of course, every win is important. Thankfully, the other players supported our cause.)
Individual Awards
DELTA Poomsae’s Gaw was hailed as the Most Valuable Player for this season, following the footsteps of her former teammate, Rinna Babanto. She is the second player from the Green-and-White to receive the award.
“I didn’t really expect to be crowned as the MVP because I thought that Patrick Perez also deserved the award. This is why I am really thankful [to] my coaches and my teammates, because I wouldn’t be able to do it without them. Lastly, this award is also for God and for my beloved De La Salle University,” the graduating captain shared.
Meanwhile, DELTA Kyurogi Men’s team captain Arsenal, Carlo Dionisio, and Alvaro Aranton earned gold medals in the bantamweight, flyweight, and middle-heavyweight divisions, respectively. Additionally, Rommel Ulat bagged a bronze medal in the finweight division to help the cause of the Green-and-White.
On the other hand, both the DELTA Kyurogi Women’s team captain Romuar and graduating player Avancena bagged the bronze medals for the middle-heavyweight and flyweight divisions, respectively.
The DELTA Poomsae team and DELTA Kyurogi team respectively contributed 15 and 20 points to the UAAP General Championship race of the Green-and-White.
