National University kicked off its quest for a sixth consecutive men’s championship with two dominant victories, while University of Santo Tomas, aiming for a third straight title, also secured back-to-back wins in the women’s division of the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Taekwondo Tournament on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
At the iconic venue, where most national taekwondo events are typically held, the Bulldogs put on an impressive performance led by reigning men’s MVP Nusair Lao, Melbourne Lustado, Kenneth Buenavides, and Sturdy Jay Gilbuena.
They began the tournament with a 6-1 triumph over Ateneo and followed it up with a 5-2 victory against University of the Philippines in the afternoon session.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the women’s division, the Tiger Jins made a strong statement in their bid to retain the championship.
Last year’s MVP Laizel Abucay spearheaded UST’s campaign, guiding them to a 6-1 victory over Ateneo and a 6-1 win against Far Eastern University.
Joining the Bulldogs in the men’s division lead with 2-0 records are De La Salle and UST.
The Green Jins started the day by defeating FEU, 6-1, and later subdued Ateneo, 7-0. UST had a more challenging outing in the afternoon but eventually edged out UP, 4-3, needing to win the final two bouts to secure the victory, before later beating FEU, 6-1.
De La Salle matched UST’s perfect record, claiming victories over UP (6-1) and FEU (7-0).
Meanwhile, NU recorded its only match of the opening day with a masterful 7-0 victory over FEU, before adding another win over Ateneo (5-2) to improve its record to 2-0.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the high school competition, which is being held alongside the men’s and women’s events for the first time, NU-Nazareth School began its title-defense with a dominant 5-0 win over De La Salle-Zobel.
UST took an early lead in the high school division, overpowering Ateneo 5-0 and defeating De La Salle-Zobel 4-1.
FEU-Diliman also impressed with a 5-0 win over Ateneo.
Action resumes on Wednesday at 8 a.m. (TJ)
