ISABELLE Noelle "Isay" Bautista Garcia, a nine-year-old Taekwondo player from Catbalogan City, Samar, has continued to make waves in international Martial Arts competitions.
The Taekwondo wonderkid is the eldest daughter of Engr. Jennifer Bautista, 39, of Purok 1, Barangay Canlapwas, Catbalogan City, and Engr. Tim Garcia, 41, of Bacolod City.
According to her, she hoped to bring home all the medals she bagged abroad when her family returned to the Philippines after the pandemic.
The Garcia family is temporarily residing in Al-khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) due to work assignments.
The parents also thanked Garcia’s Filipino coaches at Al Khobar Lions Taekwondo (AKLT), namely, Romeo Rebanal Jr., Glenford Villanueva, and other coaches for the guidance and trainings provided to their daughter.
The black belter kid, now a Grade 4 student of the International Philippine School in Al-khobar, also looked forward to competing in the Olympics someday.
Garcia won a bronze medal during the 2nd Heroes Taekwondo International League 2021 held in Thailand on October 5 -10, 2021.
On September 25-26, she won a silver medal (Speed kicking) during the 2021 Smart / MVP Sports Foundation Global Taekwondo Online Championships hosted by the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA).
Her other awards include silver medal, Kyonggi University International Poomsae Championship held in Korea, September 3-5, 2021; silver medal (Speedkicking) 2021 Smart/MVP Sports Foundation Asia Online Open Poomsae and Speed kicking held in Philippines, July 10-12, 2021; silver medal, Argentina Online Open Poomsae Championship - 1st Indomitable Spirit Cup, March 6-7, 2021; gold medal, 1st Taekwondo for all International Virtual Poomsae Championship 2021, July 5-9, 2021; silver medal, Poomsae Laguna Open 2021 International Championship Online held in Mexico, August 23-27, 2021; gold medal, 1st Online "cosmo" Open Poomsae Championships 2020 in Hongkong, June 2020; gold medal, 1st Heroes Taekwondo International League 2020, July 2020; gold medal (Sparring), 18th King Tiger Invitational Taekwondo Championship in Riyadh, KSA, November 22, 2019; and gold medal and Best in Performance during the 1st Aais Lions Taekwondo In-house Poomsae Championship hosted by the AKLT in Al-Khobar, KSA, December 2018.
Last April 29, 2021, Garcia achieved the rank of "1st Dan Blackbelt" as awarded by a panel of black belter judges at the AKLT, an affiliate club of PTA and The World Taekwondo, two of the most prestigious Martial Arts schools today. (SunStar Philippines)