Barbosa confident over 2025 season campaign

Kurt Barbosa will use the setback of missing the Paris Olympics as a motivation to emerge victorious in various competitions this year.

Barbosa said he would try to slow down in training after crashing out of the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tai’an, China last March that left him out of the national delegation that competed in the previous Summer Games in Paris.

“Step-by-step. I am not rushing the process because when we were preparing for the Paris qualifiers, we rushed everything,” said Barbosa, who lost to Samirkhon Ababakirov of Kazakhstan in the semifinals of the men’s -58-kilogram class in the Olympic qualifiers.

“It’s back to zero for us until we reach the top. As of now, we will compete in July.”

There are two major tournaments that Barbosa will be joining for 2025.

First is the Chuncheon Korea Open in July and the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December, where he will defend his men’s -57-kg gold medal.

Barbosa said he’s excited to have retired teammate Kirstie Alora as one of his coaches in the national squad.

Alora, after all, won four SEA Games gold medals and competed in the +67-kg division of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games.

“As a player, she was already strict. She shares her passion as a player with us,” Barbosa said.

“This will be a big help for us.”