Young taekwondo athletes from Cagayan de Oro gave local sports fans another reason to celebrate after winning three gold medals at the 2026 Smart MVP Sports Foundation National Taekwondo Championship on July 25–26 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The victories came from members of Furious A's Taekwondo Academy, with Yzabylly A. Balverde, Zyvdyl Ramayrat, and Victoria Charlene Arabejo topping their respective divisions against some of the country's best young jins.
Balverde, a student-athlete from Gusa Regional Science High School-X, captured the Cadet Under 55-kilogram Black Belt title.
Ramayrat from Corpus Christi School (CCS) ruled the Grade School Under 160-centimeter Black Belt division, while Arabejo also from CCS claimed the Junior Under 68-kilogram Black Belt championship.
The strong showing also earned the Cagayan de Oro squad the Overall First Runner-Up trophy in the Cadet Girls Black Belt division.
For families and aspiring athletes, the team's success highlights what consistent training and discipline can achieve—even while balancing demanding school schedules.
Head coach Ben Ree "JB" Toledo credited the athletes' commitment for their breakthrough performance.
"Most of them improved a lot compared to previous national tournaments because of their dedication to training," Toledo said, adding, "It's very tough to balance studies and sports, but they still show up every day for training."
The medal haul continued with CCS' Julius Baiño from taking silver in the Cadet Under 49-kilogram Black Belt division and Cyrus Gonzaga from Oro Christian Grace School earning bronze in the Cadet Over 65-kilogram Black Belt class.
Several other Kagay-anon jins also reached the quarterfinals, including Lucas Leonardo Cabangca, Dirk Lucaban, Justin James Beja, Joshua Garcia, Timujin Sanchez, Mikael Masangcay, Amanda Toledo, Khloe Araula, Elana Victorio, Jade Rivera, Rundy Dantes, Yuan Dantes, Jin Jeon, Bryce Arabejo, Hakeem Oclarit, and Noah Gonzaga.
The national podium finish reinforces Cagayan de Oro's growing reputation as a producer of promising young taekwondo talents and signals a bright future for the city's next generation of athletes. (Dave Achondo, Editorial Associate)
