Greatness begins here
TOYOHASHI, Japan—Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape’s journey began with a leap of faith. He walked into the University of Santo Tomas taekwondo program simply to “try his luck,” inspired by his sister Stella’s own path in the sport.
That gamble has now blossomed into a career-defining moment with a gold medal at the 20th Asian Games, proof that courage and bravery can be the foundations of greatness.
Just a day after clinching bronze in the men’s individual poomsae, the 22-year-old fitness and sports management major struck again, this time with a dazzling victory in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event that delivered the Philippines’ fourth gold medal of the Games.
But for Yape, the Asiad gold medal will only motivate him to achieve more.
“I always think about my next competition and win,” said Yape, emphasizing his relentless drive to improve. “I cannot just rest on these victories and relax.”
Kurt Barbosa and Tachiana Mangin snatched silvers in their respective divisions to add to the taekwondo haul that also counts the silver of Juliana Mykhail Candelaria.
The Olympian Barbosa fell to Kazakhstan’s Tamirlan Tleules in the men’s -58-kilogram final, 16-14, 15-2, while Mangin yielded to China’s Ma Jingyue in the women’s -49-kilogram final, 2-0.
The Yape win sort of made up for losses taken by two big fighting hopes—Olympian Carlo Paalam of boxing and ex-world champion Annie Ramirez of jiujitsu (related story on this page).
Boxing remained without a gold medal since Rey Saludar won in Guangzhou in 2010, settling for silver after Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi by split decision, 3-2, in the men’s 55-kilogram final on Friday at Nishio Gymnasium.
The 28-year-old Paalam still surpassed his bronze medal in the 2018 Asiad and redeemed himself from a quarterfinal exit in the 2022 Hangzhou, despite falling to the former world youth champion.
Paalam, an Olympic silver medalist, was the only Filipino boxer to reach the podium after outclassing the world champion from Kazakhstan to advance to his first-ever Asiad finals.
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick Gregorio, visiting the Filipino jins at the Toyohashi Gymnasium, expressed relief and pride.
“We’re proud of what the Philippine taekwondo team has achieved in these Games. One gold, one silver and a bronze. Congratulations,’’ said Gregorio. “We’ve already matched our golds and we hope to win more and surpass it,”
With Yape’s triumph, the Philippines’ overall medal tally rose to four golds, five silvers and 14 bronzes, matching its gold haul from the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou editions.
In the virtual taekwondo finals, Yape faced Vietnam’s Chau Ngoc Tuyet Sang. With unyielding focus, he delivered flawless sequences, winning 500-0, 620-0 in a commanding performance that left no doubt about his superiority.
His path to gold was equally impressive after defeating Kazakhstan’s Rita Bakisheva in the semifinals and Japan’s Hayate Suzuki in the quarterfinals.
Each bout demanded courage and technical mastery, qualities Yape has honed with the UST program in the UAAP.
The victory not only secured him a P2-million incentive from the Philippine Sports Commission but also cemented his reputation as one of the country’s most promising taekwondo athletes.
Yet Yape remains grounded.
“For now, I just want to train more and work harder. I feel this is not yet my best form,” Yape said. “I can still improve and become even better.”
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