EVEN as other sports struggle to get back on track in the middle of a pandemic, some martial arts competitions were able to find a new stage online.
As exhibition sports rather than contact sports, events like poomsae have the advantage of being able to easily go digital, thanks to video software that lets judges remotely score performance.
Last May, Jocel Lyn Ninobla made history for the country when she brought home World Taekwondo's first-ever Online Poomsae Championship title.
But the grind continues for the 23-year-old Thomasian.
Recently, she took home gold in the 2020 Smart MVP Sports Foundation Online National Taekwondo Inter-school Poomsae Championships.
With the final score of 8.233, the 23-year-old Ninobla ranked first among around 53 competitors from different universities under the Female Senior category, Black division.
Over the weekend, jins from UAAP, NCAA, and other schools nationwide competed for the local title. De La Salle University’s Angelica Gaw and Rinna Babanto, bagged silver and bronze medals, respectively.
In a Facebook post celebrating her victory, Ninobla thanked God for her victory, writing: “That through Your works in me, they will see You not me. All the glory goes to You."
The competition took place via an online videosharing platform whereas participants take turns performing routines. These are then aired live on the Philippine Taekwondo Association’s Facebook page.
Spin fans unite at the Spin Viber Community! Join the growing community now and complete the experience by subscribing to the Spin Chatbot.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph