THE Philippines had another strong finish in the annual World Taekwondo Hanmadang after taking home two gold medals the other day in the Halla Gymnasium in Jeju, South Korea.

Cebuano jins McAvynger Alob and Lyan Llanto again teamed up to help lead the Philippines to another gold medal finish in the Taekwondance team event, while Alob got a second gold medal in the Team Event (International Division).

“I’m absolutely happy for Lyan and Mc Alob. As you know, I was instrumental in having him (Llanto) admitted at UP Diliman. The guy has to travel almost 50 kilometers daily just to train at the Philippine Taekwondo Headquarters. UP Diliman is more the 20 kilometers from Rizal Memorial. You’ve got to appreciate the commitment of this guy,” Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) Region 7 chairman Tony del Prado told SunStar Cebu.

“Mac Alob, on the other hand, just had MCL (medial collateral ligament) surgery earlier this year. He wasn’t even 100 percent during the PNG (Philippine National Games) last April. He was still in pain then. His performance speaks highly of his diligence in training.”

The Philippines are back-to-back champions in the Taekwondance event, where the team showcased their synchronicity, grace and skill.

“They were part of the Taekwondo Dance Team. Mc Alob was a major contributor in sequencing the moves,” said del Prado.

Alob and Llanto was also part of last year’s gold-winning Taekwondance team along with Cebuana Lee Navales.

“World Taekwondo Hanmadang is a festival which shows the essentials of the martial art such as breaking, self defense and poomsae,” said del Prado. “It is the perfect venue to present genuine martial arts spirit and highlights the skills and techniques of taekwondo.” (EKA)