After a sterling performance in the 1st Karate Pilipinas All Divisions National Championships held at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City over the weekend, the Association for the Advancement of Karate (AAK) Davao is setting its sights on two international competitions slated in July.
AAK-Davao chief Rommel Tan, who is also the Karate Pilipinas Davao regional director, said the team immediately resumed training right after snaring 2 golds and 7 bronze medals in the just-concluded national competition organized by the National Sports Association (NSA) for karate and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
“Tuloy-tuloy ang training bisag walay dula. What’s next for us is the international karate championships in Malaysia and Thailand, all in July,” the decorated coach said.
Tan said he is satisfied with what his athletes have shown during their most recent stint where Aldren Solon and Sofia Agullo, mainstays of AAK Davao, won gold medals apiece.
Solon stole the limelight in the boy’s 12-13 years old kumite while Agullo shone the brightest in the girl’s junior kata division in the event that attracted more than 500 karatekas from all over the country.
The AAK chief’s daughter and karate prodigy Atsuko Kaiyel Tan as well as teammates Ian Carlos Pascual, Janna Alexandra Ramirez, Stephen Cartagena, Gabriel Quiñones, and University of Mindanao Tagum’s Jammel Tainan bagged bronze medals in their respective divisions.
“Tanan eight athletes gipadala nato nag medal tanan,” Tan shared.
AAK Davao is supported by Jay and Jo Anne Ramirez, Sharon Cartagena, Richard Lu, Emery Neble, Jovita and Robert Quiñones, and Giselle Bohol.
