Pinay teener hailed for putting PH back on world taekwondo podium

Manila: Two senators on Thursday commended 16-year-old Tachiana Keshia Mangin for ending the Philippines' 28-year wait for another gold medal in the World Taekwondo Junior Championships. Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Joel Villanueva filed Senate Resolutions Nos. 1210 and 1212, respectively, to commend Mangin's victory in the women's -48kg category in the 2024 World Taekwondo Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea on Oct. 5. "She deserves commendation from the Senate for putting the country back on the taekwondo map and for exemplifying positive values of unwavering resilience and commitment to excellence at such a young age," Estrada said in SRN 1210. "Mangin brought great pride and honor to the nation with her momentous victory. Her impressive accomplishment embodies the immense potential of the new generation of Filipino athletes, and heralds the bright future for the Philippines," he added. The Grade 12 senior high school student from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) prev ailed against Judith Cordoba Heredia of Spain and Natkamon Wassna of Thailand to secure a spot in the quarterfinals, where she dominated against Habiba Wael Emerah of Egypt. The Filipina jin entered the finals match after Lamprini Anna Asimaki of Greece withdrew from the semi-finals due to an injury. Mangin secured the historic gold medal against crowd favorite, South Korea's Kim Hyang-Gi, after surviving four successive fights in one day. The last podium finish for the Philippines was made by Alex Borromeo who won the championship title in Men's -47kg during the inaugural edition in 1996 in Barcelona, Spain. Villanueva said Mangin is a rising star who can help popularize taekwondo and entice the youth to get into sports. "Mangin's record-breaking performance at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships has brought great pride and honor to the whole UST community and the country," Villanueva state on his SRN 1212. "Her victory serves as an inspiration and motivation to all Filipinos, especially the youth and aspiring athletes, and thus merits recognition from this august chamber," he added. Source: Philippines News agency