“Huwag ka umalis kasi di mo makita ang gold ko (Do not go because you might not see my gold medal),” six-year old James Paolo Ancheta told me when I was about to leave lunchtime during the 2006 Regional Taekwondo championships held at the Entertainment Center of SM City Davao last Sunday.
He was right. James did win his first gold medal during last Sunday’s Taekwondo championship. While I did not see him win the championship, I saw him win the first round of the game and was he fast! He was considered too small for his age but apparently his speed and leg reach made up for his skinny physique.
I was able to interview Alan de Francia, his coach, a week before the championships and he said he was betting on the members of his Values Team particularly Ancheta to win the gold. “Mabilis yang batang yan, maliit pero maliksi,” de Francia said.
Ancheta, who is an incoming Kinder at Values, started his official training with de Francia as coach only last July when Values School Matina offered Taekwondo for their pre-school and grade school students. However, he has been practicing Taekwondo albeit informally and playfully since he was five years old.
“Ay di ko nga sana payagan yan na pasalihin sa tournament kasi natatakot ako (I would not have allowed him to join the tournament as I was scared),” his mom Joy Ancheta said. However, when they decided to join the tournament, his mom Joy and Tita Flor were very supportive of him, and were always with him during practice which sometimes ended late at around eight in the evening.
I have always thought of him as a sumo wrestler since his father was Japanese. But joking aside, he became interested in Taekwondo, a hard martial art which originated in Korea. But I was not wrong at all since Taekwondo is in fact a combination of Japanese, Chinese and Korean styles of fighting. The word “Tae” to strike with the foot” while “kwon” means to strike with the hand. Thus, a Taejwondo jin should have fast hands and feet as well.
This tournament may be James Paolo’s first, and his gold medal, his very first. But definitely, it will never be his last tournament and gold medal.(lovely a. carillo)
