By Jaime Joshua A. Frias II
Contributor
CAGAYAN de Oro City’s taekwondo guru George Arsenal made a successful return from a five-year break from his fruitful campaign in the international arena.
This, as the 45-year-old Arsenal did it again, pulling off a double whammy feat in the 13th International Open Friendship Taekwondo Championships, over the weekend, at the Eastern Michigan University in the USA.
Arsenal, who owns the Arsenal Taekwondo Center in the City of Gold, won gold medals in the master’s division of the Poomsae and wood breaking jumping turning roundhouse categories, at the expense of the equally-competitive American and Indian rivals.
“I submit humbly to God for my US campaign and I thank everybody for supporting me. Age is just a number,” Arsenal said.
It can be recalled that the grizzled jin also brought home a couple of gilts in the Chicago Open in 2016 and in Florida and the Midwest Invitational Taekwondo Tournament in Chicago in 2017.
He will try to duplicate the same feat when he competes again in the same tournaments in Florida and Chicago later this year.
“I’ll try my best in two more US events ahead. Magpakitang gilas kita,” he said.
Apart from his illustrious coaching career back home, Arsenal was also known for being adjudged as the most valuable jin in the 1995 Milo Little Olympics National Finals and the Philippine Olympics Festival in 2002.
