DAVAO CITY — The Regional Central Gym (RCG) Strikers Tagum bagged last Sunday, November 20, the title award at the 10th Pulong Duterte Taekwondo Championship held at the crowded SM Annex in Ecoland in Davao City.

RCG Strikers Tagum won the overall championship. At the same time, RCG Kaizen got the first runner-up, followed by the RCG Matanao and the Hwarang, respectively, said coach Johnny Kim, who is also the event organizer.

Almost 700 taekwondo athletes competed during the Davao region-wide taekwondo championship. Many of the athletes came from Davao, Digos, Tagum, and Mati, and the municipalities of Malita, Matanao, Nabunturan, Compostela, and Lupon.

Kim said the youngest among the male and female athletes during the 10th Pulong Duterte Taekwondo Championship is a three-year-old, while the eldest aged 30.

“The Pulong Taekwando Championship is a yearly event for the taekwondists. It was supposed to be a Mindanao-wide tournament, but due to the venue's limited space, we only held the tournament in Davao Region instead," Kim said.

Kim said that this tournament would be a proper preparation and serve as a tune-up for those athletes planning to compete in the national and international taekwondo championship.

“I have been on this journey for a long time already. Paolo [Duterte] was young back then when I trained him. He was not yet a politician at that time. We are grateful for his support to the club and to the taekwondo athletes,” Kim said.

The tournament also attracted more attention to local businesses here in Davao City with the influx of visitors.

Kim said everyone is welcome to participate in various taekwondo clubs, adding that Taekwondo is an Olympic sport, a very dynamic martial arts form, and a very family-friendly event.

“Many people think that Taekwondo is for kicking and fighting. It’s more on exercise, learning proper skills and techniques, and, most significantly, disciplining oneself. If you look at Paolo Duterte now, he grows up a fined and disciplined man," Kim said.

To promote fitness, physical awareness, and mental acuity, Kim said that Taekwondo incorporates several techniques and mindsets, adding that this martial art provides its practitioners with a wide range of advantages and benefits.