FOUR elite members of the SMART/MVPSF Philippine women’s team will be put to the test when they compete in the World Taekwondo Women's Open Championships from Aug. 28 to 30 in Taiyuan, China.
The Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA), led by Grandmaster Sung-Chon Hong, firmly believes its battle-tested players can now go toe-to-toe against their world-class rivals after undergoing intensive training in Korea.
Mangin going for gold
The members of the team fully supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and MILO are Tachiana Keiza Mangin, Clarence Sarza, Baby Jessica Canabal and Czarina Mae Danganan.
They will be up against world-class rivals in an event that will gather 59 other countries, including Korea, China, Iran and Thailand.
After becoming the first Filipino world junior champion two years ago, Mangin, 18, made a triumphant debut at the 2025 Thailand SEA Games, and she is now regarded as the face of Philippine taekwondo.
Sarza is coming off a bronze medal finish at the 27th Asian Taekwondo Championships, while Canabal and Danganan also made their marks in their previous international stints – the latest of them was during the SEA Games last year.
Grandmaster Hong said the event is part of the association’s massive preparation for two important events – the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, next month and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December.
The country is looking to win its first-ever gold medal in the Asian Games after winning 4 silver and 24 our bronze medals since the Korean martial arts was introduced during the Seoul edition in 1986.
The latest was a bronze achieved by Patrick King Perez in poomsae during the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago.
Olympian Stephen Fernandez will head the delegation while former champions Paul Romero and Kirstie Elaine Alora have been designated as coaches.
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