Tuesday, June 03, 2008 Choi Sing jins rule in beach taekwondo By Marianne Saberon-Abalayan
THE Choi Sing Temple struck for 20 gold medals and 21 silvers to rule the 4th Extreme Beach Challenge Taekwondo Competition Saturday at the Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort.
The Rising Dragon came in second with five golds and six silvers while the Holiday Gym and Spa won five golds and five silvers to place third.
Kids Playroom Taekwondo SM came in fourth with five golds and four silvers in the one-day event organized by Davao Taekwondo Extreme and sponsored by PIPBR.
Davao Regional Athletic Association (Davraa) player Nathalie Sanchez of the Ateneo Tigers, meanwhile, pocketed the children girls division 2, category 2.
The eight-year-old Sanchez, the eldest child of Mark and Landa Sanchez, started playing the sport at age four.
"I had asthma at that time. My cousin then was a taekwondo player so I was encouraged to also take the sport. I've been feeling better since playing taekwondo," Nathalie said with a smile during an interview with Sun.Star Davao after beating Bianca Louise Villanueva of Cho Sing Temple, 15-5, in the semi-finals.
Nathalie, an incoming Ateneo Grade 3 student, said she would have also played in the Palarong Pambansa held in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan in April but she got sick.
A total of 75 jins competed in the annual competition where winners received medals from sponsoring PIPBR brothers Vincent "Enteng" and Narciso "Sisoy" Rodriguez and Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) regional director Hyoung Joo Kim.
