By Lyka Jazmin Dela Cruz
When taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa steps into the dojang of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, he could use a dose of the never-say-die attitude he flashed when he qualified for the quadrennial meet.
“Naisip ko ‘yung buong Pilipinas, kaya dapat manalo ako sa game na ito, kasi para sa bayan to,” said Barbosa during his 2021 Asian Qualification Tournament championship duel in Amman, Jordan with hometown bet Zaid Al-Hawani.
The extra motivation — that he was doing this for flag and country — was desperately needed at that particular moment in time as Al-Halawani looked primed up to secure the win as he pulled away by stretching his lead to 15, 41-26 lead with only 1:22 to go.
Barbosa slowly came back and cut the lead down to four, 48-44, with 21 seconds left.
The hometown jin got more breathing room after a Barbosa foul put him back up by five, 49-44, with 12 seconds remaining, but three straight two-point hits pushed the Filipino ahead with only two seconds remaining. The Jordanian failed to answer as time expired.
The result was a come-from-behind 50-49 triumph that catapulted Barbosa to the Tokyo Olympics.
“Basta, noong nasa waiting area lang ako before semis, naka-focused talaga ako, wala ako iniisip na iba kung hindi paano siya talunin. Wala sa isip ko ‘yung talo,” added Barbosa, who found his timing in the closing seconds of his two-minute encounter in the third round of the men’s -58kg class semifinals.
Barbosa normally fights in the 54kg category and he had to plan out his fight because Al-Halawani was bigger and heavier than him.
“May mga game-plan talaga kami na gumana sa first round. Pero, na-checkmate kami, kaya nag-switch agad kami ng game-plan para kontrahin ang ginagawa ng kalaban,” added Barbosa, who became the first Filipino male jin to snare an Olympic berth in 13 years.
With his qualification, Barbosa followed in the footsteps of Tshomlee Go, who made it in the same weight class in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Before Barbosa played for the national taekwondo team, he first represented National University during the UAAP Season 81, where he became the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player.
Luck has been on his side as he was scouted to be a member of the grassroots program of the Philippine Taekwondo Association, when he participated in the 2019 Philippine National Games representing his hometown, Abra.
In the same year, Barbosa competed in the World Taekwondo Championships. However, he failed to advance to the next round as his opponent, Ramnarong Sawekwiharee eliminated him.
But Barbosa bounced back and won the gold in the below 54-kg category of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, which the Philippines hosted.
Barbosa’s journey to the Tokyo Olympics was not easy as he faced several restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but that did not stop him from practicing hard for the 2021 Asian Qualification Tournament, where he achieved his biggest victory yet.
In a statement released by MVP Sports Foundation’s president Al Panlilio, he congratulated Barbosa and said that this win is a reminder that as long as there is a time, there is still a hope of winning.
“Kurt Barbosa gave the Filipino people a timely reminder that as long as there’s still time left on the clock, we need to keep fighting. Even if Kurt was down big in the third round, his belief in himself never wavered and now he is an Olympian.”
MVP Sports Foundation also assured of its continued support for Barbosa and to the whole Philippine Taekwondo Association team.
In his instagram post, Barbosa shared his excitement when he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.
“I’m coming to the Tokyo Olympics. Our journey as an athlete has never been as easy as others think. We’ve experienced a lot especially now that we are in the midst of a pandemic and being far from our family is one of the struggles we faced,” said Barbosa. “It gives us time to focus on our goals, to reach this point in our lives where we have to represent our dear country Philippines in different competitions and to achieve the victory we’ve all wanted.”
In the same post, he thanked the people, who supported him throughout his journey. He also asked his countrymen to continue to support him and all the Filipino athletes, who will compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
“We are expressing our gratitude for the non-stop support and assistance that you all gave us. We hope that you never stop believing in us and continue supporting our journey until the end. Victory of one is victory of all. It is such an honor to represent our beloved country, we will continue bringing pride on our flag. Thank you to all of you mga Pinoy, sa dasal at suporta niyo. Mabuhay tayong mga Pilipino,” he said.