Babanto eyes gold in Asian Games

Cebuana Rinna Babanto is slowly recovering from a surgery on her knee as she prepares for one of the biggest competitions of her career, the Asian Games.

Babanto had a meniscal tear on her right knee just before the Asian Taekwondo championships, where she won the bronze medal with Nikki Olivia and Juvenile Crisostomo in the Under 30 Poomsae category.

That tournament was part of the national team’s preparation for the Asian Games, which will be held in Indonesia in August.

Babanto and the rest of the team have been training since February for the Asian Games but she has to take a break after having surgery last June 11.

They are also focusing on the new forms of poomsae, which will be implemented in the games.

“I think we will be expecting more of that together with gymnastic training and a lot of conditioning workouts,” she said in an interview. Because she just had her surgery last Monday, June 11, her goal for now is a fast recovery to keep up with the team. She will do her rehabilitation and upper body workouts only since she is still not allowed to train and compete in the Korea Open this July.

Babanto said that she is inspired by the people who have believed in her ever since she dreamed of becoming a member of the national team, mentiong coach Glenn Lava and Philippine Taekwondo Association regional chairman Tony del Pardo.

Babanto, who won a bronze and a silver medal in the Southeast Asian Games last year, is aiming for a gold medal in the quadrennial meet. /