Tachiana bags world jr. taekwondo gold medal

Tachiana Mangin’s stunning victory in the women’s -49-kilogram category of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea last Friday was all about heart.

Philippine Taekwondo Association secretary general Rocky Samson told DAILY TRIBUNE that the 16-year-old jin showed tenacity and grit against bigger and taller foes.

Mangin defeated home bet Kim Hyang Gi, 2-1, to clinch the gold medal.

“It’s no light matter that we have a world champion. A total of 100 countries joined and about a thousand competed,” Samson said.

“She wanted to win. You can see it in her eyes and the expression on her face that she will go for it.”

Mangin’s fighting heart did not waver as she defeated Judith Cordoba Heredia of Spain, 2-0 in the Round of 32 before scoring another 2-0 win, this time against Habiba Wael Emerah of Thailand.

The Filipino jin struck anew in the quarterfinal after beating Habiba Wael Emerah of Egypt, 2-0, and then moved into the championship round Lamprini Anna Asimaki of Greece, who lost via walkover.

Mangin is the first Filipino female world champion of the tournament and the second overall after Alex Borromeo won the -47kg class in the 1996 edition of the competition held in Barcelona, Spain.

Samson sees a bright future for Mangin as her feat will surely give her more opportunities at the senior level in international tournaments such as the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the Asian Games.

“Especially now that she is a world champion, you will see her compete in tournaments like the SEA Games,” Samson said.