The Philippine taekwondo team will vie for honors in the open qualification tournament 1 for the 2019 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series on April 26-28 in Wuxi, China.
Carrying the colors of SMART/MVP Sports Foundation, the national taekwondo squad will be bannered by 10 jins—five male and five female—and two coaches, Carlos Jose Padilla V and Christian Al Dela Cruz.
The Filipino fighters are: Male—Dex Ian Chavez (-58kg), Kurt Bryan Barbosa (-58kg), Arven Alcantara (-68kg), Keno Anthony Mendoza (-68kg), Samuel Thomas (-80kg); Female—Baby Jessica Canabal (-49kg), Veronica Garces (-49kg), Pauline Louise Lopez (-57kg), Beatrice Kassandra Gaerlan (-57kg) and Laila Delo (-67kg).
Only selected athletes from 30 countries will see action in the prestigious event. Among these countries are Korea, France, Spain, Iran, Turkey, Chinese Taipei, the United States and the Philippines.
The competition also serves as a tuneup for the Filipino jins’ participation in the World Taekwondo Championships, the Korea Open and the Southeast Asian Games which the Philippines is hosting late this year.
The Filipinos, who are always considered among the tough campaigners in international taekwondo events. are also supported by PLDT, Meralco, the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee and Milo.