UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas regained the throne in the UAAP Season 86 poomsae competition Monday at the Marikina Sports Center.
The Tiger Jins cemented their status as the most successful team in the event, winning a fifth title after securing two golds in the women’s individual and mixed pair event.
Chelsea Tacay gave UST its first gold with a solid performance that earned her 8.167 points, beating De La Salle’s Sofia Sarmiento, whose 8.017 points garnered a silver, and National University’s Laeia Soria, last season’s MVP who settled for bronze with 7.984 points.
Tacay later paired with Vincent Rodriguez in winning the Tiger Jins’ second gold with 8.167, besting the Green Jins’ Patrick Perez and Khia Cortez (8.134) and the Bulldogs’ Ian Corton and Sophia Estelloso (8.067).
Tacay was crowned as the MVP of the one-day meet.
“Ang tumatak sa ‘kin na sinabi ni Coach Rani (Ortega) last year is making mas hungry kami,” said Tacay, a 22-year-old jin out of Bago City.
“Last year, hindi namin nabigyan ng exit ‘yung mga seniors namin. This time, ‘yung championship na ‘to is dedicated sa mga batchmates ko na ga-graduate na.”
UST also took home two silvers and a bronze medal.
De La Salle returned to the podium and finished second with a 1-2-0 medal haul, while last year’s champion NU settled for third place with a 1-1-3 tally.
The Green Jins’ Perez, the Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medalist, ruled the men’s individual event with 8.217 points to beat the Bulldogs’ Corton (8.184) and the Tiger Jins’ King Nash Alcario (7.984).
Corton, who was part of the men’s poomsae team that won silver in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games with Perez and Joaquin Tuzon, was the Rookie of the Year.
NU retained the men’s team event gold, as Ceanne Rosquillo, Jed Tan, and Kier Macalino topped the event with 8.217 points. UST’s Alcario, Dane Subaste, and Jeus Yape claimed the silver with 8.134, while University of the Philippines’ Joshua Cachero, Dominique Navarro, and Keifel Martinez, logged 8.100 for a bronze medal outing.
The Fighting Maroons, who missed the podium, were able to top the women’s team event courtesy of a sensational gold showing by Joanna Pauline Jubelag, Alyssa Louise Caabay, and Jona Keith Castillo with 8.300 points.
The Tiger Jins’ Season 84 Rookie-MVP Aidaine Laxa, Stella Yape, and Heza Serapio placed second with 8.1165, while the Bulldogs’ Soria, Estelloso and Abegail Pacificador clinched third with 7.893.
Ateneo, last season’s third placer, and Far Eastern University failed to win medals.
Action in two-day college taekwondo kicks off Tuesday, with NU eyeing a golden double.
