In its desire to win its first-ever Asian Games gold medal, the SMART/MVPSF national taekwondo team, led by Tokyo Olympics veteran Kurt Barbosa and Southeast Asian Games champion Tachiana Keizha Mangin, will take part in two major competitions in Korea.

The country has already garnered close to 30 medals since its maiden campaign in the continental showpiece exactly 40 years ago in Seoul but none of them was gold.

To realize its dream of winning the ultimate prize, the Philippine Taekwondo Association, under Grandmaster Sung-Chon Hong, has decided to send its top athletes — 39 of them — to Korea to train intensively at the same time test their readiness for the quadrennial event and three other important events of the year.

The Filipino Kyorugi bets, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Milo, will first vie in the Chuncheon Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships from 18 to 22 July before vying in the Kim Un-yong Cup International Open Taekwondo Championships in Jung-gu, Seoul from 25 to 28 July.

After the tournaments, they will remain in the country was the sport was born to train further at Kyung Hee University. Poomsae hopefuls are currently training as TS Taekwondo since 9 July.

The prestigious championships are expected to attract athletes from almost 40 countries, including Iran, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, China, and many other leading taekwondo nations.

These events will serve as vital preparation not only for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games — slated 16 September to 4 October — but also for the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Chuncheon on 16 to 20 September, the World Taekwondo Women’s Championships in Taiyuan, China on 28 to 30 August, and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 13 to 21 December.

Aside from Barbosa (-54kg), other members of the men’s Kyorugi team are Reymundo Calamba III (-54 kg), Aljen Aynaga (-58 kg), Mythaious Angelous Francois Lustado (-58 kg), Brendan Ysrael Hugh Boteros (-63 kg), Kenneth Riley Buenavides (-68 kg), Dave Cea (-74 kg), Nicolas Aaron Castillo (-74 kg), and Chuck Aeron Alaria (-63 kg, junior division).

Joining Mangin (-49 kg) in the women’s team are Clarence Sarza (-46 kg), Baby Jessica Canabal (-53 kg), Laizel Angela Abucay (-53 kg), Czarina Mae Danganan (-57 kg), Jubilee Briones (-62 kg), Merica Lillyn Chan (-67 kg), Laila Delo (-67 kg), Samanta Gley Duria (-42 kg, Junior Division), and Cheska Paula Banawa (-49 kg, junior division).

Comprising the men’s Poomsae squad are Rodolfo Reyes Jr., Jesus Gabriel Derick Yape, Justin Kobe Macario, Darius Venerable, Joaquin Dominic Tuzon, Ian Matthew Corton, Patrick King Perez, King Nash Alcairo and Jay-R Casas.

The women’s Poomsae squad is composed of Juvenile Faye Crisostomo, Sofia Ysabelle Sarmiento, Jocel Lyn Ninobla, Zyka Angelica Santiago, Janna Dominique Oliva, Maria Nicole Anne Labayne, Juliana Mykhail Candelaria, Aidaine Krishia Laxa, Aesha Kiara Oglayon, Julianna Martha Uy and Stella Nicole Yape.

Designated as coaches of the PH delegation are Kirstie Elaine Alora, Gershon Bautista, Paul Romero, Rani Ann Ortega and Jeordan Dominguez.