Spending four months in bubble training has kept the taekwondo jin Pauline Lopez sharp and ready.
“The training has been good because we had planned for it. And, of course, there were so many uncertainties because of the situation,” said Lopez, one of four members of the national taekwondo team now training under a bubble in Calamba, Laguna since January.
Lopez feels that she and her teammates are all set to do a mission that they have preparing for the last five months.
“We have to adjust to manage our bodies, our minds, and our training to the best of our abilities,” said Lopez.
The 24-year-old Lopez will join Rio Olympics veteran Kirstie Elaine Alora, the most experienced of her teammates who are in the final stages of their preparations. They will soon leave the bubble in the coming days to fly to Amman, Jordan, where they will see action in the 2021 Asian Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament.
Also joining them are their other teammates Kurt Barbosa and Arven Alcantara.
The tournament slated May 21 and 22 serves as Asian qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics.
The 31-year-old Alora will be seeking her second stint in the Olympics and is entered in the women’s +67 kg category. Alora is no. 73 in the Olympic rankings with 29.43 points.
During the 2019 SEA Games, Alora settled for silver in the heavier +73 kg class, while Lopez claimed the gold in the -57 kg.
Lopez, a two-time gold medallist in the SEA Games, is at no. 51 in the Olympic rankings with 8.45 points.
Meanwhile, Alcantara is no. 69 in the Olympic rankings of the men’s +68 kg class, and Barbosa holds the no. 154 rank in men’s -58 kg category.