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| Tachiana Mangin put an end to a 16-year reign by Thai jins in the SEA Games women's 49-kilogram kyorugi taekwondo tournament. POC Media Pool |
MANILA--Tachiana Mangin delivered another gold medal for the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games after spoiling Kamonchanon Seeken's home party on Friday at the Fashion Island Mall in Bangkok.
In the battle between the future stars of Southeast Asian taekwondo, the 18-year-old Mangin, last year's World Junior Championships winner in the women's 49-kilogram category, beat 19-year-old Seeken, the silver medalist in the 2023 World Senior Championships, 2-0, in the final.
Mangin's win broke a 16-year dominance by Thailand in the women's 49-kilogram event, headlined by a four-peat from now taekwondo legend Panipak Wongpattanakit.
Seeken, who was already building a name in the 46-kilogram event, made the jump to 108 pounds after Wongpattanakit decided to call it a career last year at just 27 years old following her second Olympic gold.
Mangin's historic gold headlined a four-medal haul by the Filipino jins.
Nusair Lao (men's 68-kilogram division) and Laila Delo (women's 73-kilogram) settled for silver after losing to Thailand's Banlung Tubtimdang and Vietnam's Bac Thi Khiem, respectively, in their own gold medal matches with identical 0-2 scorelines.
Algen Aynaga won the other taekwondo medal for the day, a bronze, after making the semifinals of the men's 58-kilogram division only to drop a 1-2 heartbreaker to Vietnam's Dinh Cong Khoa.
