Winning Formula: Ortega instills excellence in PH poomsae squad
Source: The Manila times
MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine taekwondo-poomsae team is off on their quest to take home more medals for the country as head coach Rani Ortega steers the ship and ingrains a strong winning mentality in her squad.
During the 8th Asian Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, the Philippines bagged seven medals, tallying a gold, a silver, and five bronze medals, last May 14-15.
Behind this recent feat is Ortega's approach to young athletes as she wants each player to excel and shine on their own, embracing each member's uniqueness.
In an interview with the Manila Times, the national team head coach shared that building a connection and making sure to address the needs of the team serves as the winning formula.
"I love my players, and I make sure that I get to know each one of them because regardless if it is in a team, or individual there should be a different approach to each one of them. Each one of them is unique. Some players need to be pushed, be gentle, and be motivated," she said.
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"Knowing them inside and outside the court so we can turn them on whenever they are in the competition. Being bonded and being close to each other, and at the same time having that respect and same goals does the work."
Heading to Korea in July to join the Korean Open and prepare for their two major tournaments, the Philippine team guns to also finish strong in the Asian Martial Arts and World Poomsae Champions that will commence in November until the first week of December.
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"I want the players to have direction, every time we finish a mission, we go on to the next and also prepare and carry the lessons from the previous tournament and also we want to improve."
In the 8th Asian Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, the squad earned their lone goal and Ortega also shared that they also have a different approach when it comes to handling the pressure.
"The goal is always a gold medal, though the PTA (Philippine Taekwondo Association) does not pressure us, and giving our best is what we want. But of course, for us, we really want to go all the way. The pressure is not to get a gold medal, but the pressure is to have a 'gold medal performance.'"
In their recent tourney, the Philippines bagged their lone gold in the over-17 freestyle mixed team event, which consisted of Darius Venerable, Justin Kobe Macario, Juvenile Fate Crisostomo, Zyka Angelica Santiago, and Stella Nicole Yape.