The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Jins have returned the glory back to Taft and completed a ruthless 5–0 sweep to get their 9th championship in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Men’s Collegiate Taekwondo Tournament yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
After finishing at fourth place last season and missing the podium, the Green Jins were hungry to secure their spot back in the podium and end their 11-year championship drought, which they last saw in UAAP Season 76. With their perfect record, they have officially dethroned the reigning Men’s Taekwondo Champions, the National University (NU) Bulldogs, after putting an end to the latter’s five-year reign.
For the Green Jins’ first matchup of the day, stars seemed to align with an impressive win over the defending champions, the NU Bulldogs. Right from the very start, it was La Salle scoring two straight points to showcase their grit and skill. Despite the Bulldogs getting ahead by responding with a three-point scoring streak of their own, it was ultimately the Green Jins who would bring it home after the team scored the last two points, 4–3.
This victory then became the defining point of the season for the Green Jins after the team accomplished two greatly anticipated feats: ending both their own championship drought and NU’s five-peat record.
Carrying their momentum forward, the team faced the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. In a similar story as their previous game, La Salle opened with a quick two-point lead, only for UP to counter with a 3–0 scoring run. However, decisive play in a tense 22–15 exchange in the sixth and a close 12–10 run in the seventh ultimately secured the deal for the Green Jins, 4–3.
Now armed with a 4–0 record, the Green Jins were now one win away from a dominant 5–0 sweep of the league, and one win away from securing the championship. The match began with La Salle and UST exchanging points to tie the match at 1-all, but with the Green Jins scoring two straight points to counter, it was now or never at the fifth sparring match. In a heated face-off, a penalty called on La Salle was challenged by UST in the final moments. But ultimately, grit and determination persevered and the Green Jins secured the win against their powerhouse opponents, 6–1.
The new reigning champions were crowned the following day at the awarding ceremony held at the same venue, where Johnson Rosario took the MVP honors of the tournament. Rosario also bagged a gold medal, along with Einz Aricayos and Marc Gacilos. In addition, Nicolas Castillo received his silver medal, while Ron De La Llarte received his for bronze.
As the DLSU Green Jins leave the mats for this season, they have successfully brought the crown back home to Taft after 11 years — closing a redemption campaign and marking the beginning of a new legacy.
Source: DLSU Sports
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