AFTER a hat-trick of Southeast Asian Games titles, taekwondo jin Samuel Morrison is considering retiring from the sport.
Morrison, 29, ruled the men’s 80-kilogram class by beating Joshua Amirul Abdullah of Malaysia, 30-8, for his third straight gold medal in the SEA Games, each one in a different weight class.
Morrison, who won his first SEA Games gold in Singapore in 2015 in the 68kg weight class, said he doesn't see himself competing in the biennial meet again.
“Baka hindi na po ako mag-SEA Games next,” said Morrison, who won gold in 2017 in the 73-kilogram class. “Mahirap sabihin (reason) pero hindi ko na nafi-feel na nakikita ko sarili ko sa next competition.”
Morrison was one of the eight gold-medal winners of the Philippine taekwondo team, which won the overall crown.
Sensing that it could be the last SEA Games of his career, Morrison said he went all out in the final against Abdullah, leading to the lopsided score.
Morrison also found extra motivation after his teammates in Arven Alcantara and Kirstie Elaine Alora settled for silver medals prior to his bout.
“Mixed emotions po talaga na last push ko na ito, binigay ko na lahat. Medyo na-ano din ako sa talo ng ibang teammates ko kaya binawi ko. Talagang nagkaroon ng fire sa puso ko na talunin ang kalaban,” said Morrison.
“Mas lalo akong nag-focus, mas lalo akong naging clear ‘yung path na kailangan ako manalo para sa mga teammates ko,” said Morrison.
Morrison though said he is not closing the door on competing in the qualification tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The Asian qualification is set on April 10-11 in Wuxi, China.
“Hindi pa natin masabi kasi qualifying ng Olympics kung mabibigyan pa ako ng isang chance,” said Morrison.
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