The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 96 wrapped up the poomsae tournament with the freestyle event on Thursday.
Michael Christian Macario of the San Beda University ruled the seniors men's division with a score of 7.033 while Mikko Jeremi Bataoil came second with 6.367. Justin Carl Dominic Nacua settled for the bronze medal with his 5.600 finish.
Taekwondo jin Macario said the victory came as a surprise since he had a short period to prepare for the tournament due to the pandemic.
"It was unexpected because I trained for the freestyle for only two weeks," he shared on 'Rise Up Stronger: NCAA Season 96'.
In the seniors women's division, Krizelle Therese Yadao of the College of Saint Benilde copped the gold medal with a tally of 6.900 while Shyenler Emelo Cedo took home the silver with 6.167 points.
Yadao said her win was also an unexpected one since the poomsae freestyle was an unfamiliar territory for her but thanks to the help of her family and coaches, she did well.
"I did not expect to win because I'm a newbie in freestyle and I was chosen to represent the school because of the trust of my coaches," she shared.
In the juniors division, only two schools were able to send their representatives.
John Mcleary Ornido of the Emilio Aguinaldo College scored 6.800 as he bested CSB's Raphael Ongkiko, who notched a 6.700 score.
The NCAA Season 96 continues on Friday with the staging of the speed kicking event.
Watch the games on ‘Rise Up Stronger: NCAA Season 96’ on GTV which airs every weekday (2:45 p.m.), Saturdays (4:30 p.m.), and Sundays (5:05 p.m.) on GTV.
—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News
