Talk about girl power!
Filipino martial artist Tachiana Keizha Mangin recently made waves by clinching the gold medal in the women's 49 kg category at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, Korea. This victory marks a significant milestone, as it ends a 28-year drought for the Philippines in this particular field of sports, reigniting our nation's passion for taekwondo.
ICYDK, no Filipino athlete had stood atop the podium at this championship since Alex Borromeo’s remarkable victory at the inaugural in Barcelona back in 1996. Borromeo captured the world crown in the - 47 kg class during that very first competition, and now, nearly three decades later, another woman has reignited the flame of hope for future generations of Filipino athletes in taekwondo.
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Tachiana Mangin’s Golden Journey
Every champion has a journey and build up to tell before achieving their sweetest victory, and Tachiana is no exception. In 2019, she added a bronze medal in the 2019 World Taekwondo Cadet Championship to her collection, along with two more bronze medals from the Asian Championship—one from the cadet division in 2019 and another from the youth class in 2022.
ICYDK how she achieved her victory in the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Korea, Tachiana received a bye in the first round and quickly asserted her dominance by defeating Judith Cordoba Heredia from Spain, 2-0.
She continued her strong performance by sweeping past Natkamon Wassana from Thailand, also with a score of 2-0. This impressive streak carried her to the semifinals, where she secured another 2-0 victory against Habiba Wael Emerah of Egypt. In the semifinals, Mangin advanced effortlessly when her opponent, Lamprini Anna Asimaki from Greece, withdrew from the match due to a walkover.
Finally, Tachiana triumphed over the local favorite, Kim Hyang Gi, winning the final round of the under 49 kg category in the women’s division with a score of 2-1.
“My biggest dream is to compete in the Olympics in 2028. It has become my motivation to bring out the best in me,” Tachiana shared during the 2023 Siklab Youth Sports Awards.
It is indeed a great stepping stone for Tachiana, a Grade 12 student from University of Santo Tomas.
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