Jeus Yape claims historic Asian Games gold in virtual taekwondo
The Philippine athlete beat Vietnam’s Ngoc Tuyet Sang Chau in the final, adding gold to his bronze medal in men’s individual poomsae.
Jeus Yape has secured the Philippines’ first Asian Games taekwondo title, winning the mixed individual virtual competition as it made its debut at the Games. The 22-year-old overcame Vietnam’s Ngoc Tuyet Sang Chau with scores of 500 points in round one and 620 in round two.
Before reaching the final, Yape eliminated Dunya Saber of Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 and Hayate Suzuki of Japan in the quarter-finals. A 2-0 victory over Kazakhstan’s Rita Bakisheva then put him through to the gold-medal contest.
His earlier appearance in men’s individual poomsae brought a bronze medal. He posted 8.8300 in the semi-finals, followed by 9.0900 in the final.
Coach Jeordan Dominguez told GMA News that preparation involved three types of training: poomsae, freestyle and virtual taekwondo. He said the Philippine Taekwondo Association had provided an opportunity to train Yape in Korea, where they attended camps.
Yape said he felt excited and happy at the announcement of the result. Although the preparation had been exhausting, he said the effort had been worthwhile.
