At just 18, Juliana Mykhail Candelaria delivered a performance that showed Philippine taekwondo has another rising star for the long haul.
Competing in the women’s individual poomsae at the 20th Asian Games, Candelaria scored 9.1300 to claim the silver medal behind South Korea’s Jung Hae-un, who won gold with 9.3100.
But the numbers told only part of the story.
Just as impressive was how Candelaria handled the pressure of her first Asian Games appearance and showed she belonged among Asia’s elite.
‘There were strong performances from the other athletes, so going into the finals, I just had to reset my mind and take it one step at a time,’ Candelaria said after delivering Team Philippines’ fifth silver medal of the Games. The Philippines also has three gold and 14 bronze medals with two days remaining before the closing ceremony.
‘Being a first-time athlete in the Asian Games will make you nervous,’ national coach Rani Ortega said. ‘You’ll get overwhelmed with the environment, the crowd, the venue, so in the finals I just told her to focus on herself. Reset and regroup.’
Candelaria followed those instructions to the letter.
Ortega credited the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and the taekwondo community for their support.
Yape’s bronze
‘Hard work really pays off with the trust and teamwork from all of us. We’re capable of accomplishing things,’ Ortega said.
Candelaria, however, isn’t in a rush to chase those accomplishments for now.
‘I want to live in the moment, just enjoy my performance and what’s happening around me and be grateful for everything,’ Candelaria said.
Meanwhile, Jeus Yape captured the bronze medal in the men’s individual poomsae competition.