Jesus Gonzalez and Daniel Pena excelled in Pan American tae kwon do competition (+Photos)

Venezuelans Jesús González and Daniel Peña stood out in the 2024 edition of the Kukkiwon 2024 Pan American Cup, after winning medals in the combat modality of the Senior (advanced) category at this tae kwon do event that was held from September 18 to 22 in Lima, Peru.

The martial arts tournament, which brought together the best talents of the new continent, was held at the National Sports Village (Videna), located in Lima, Peru, and was endorsed by the Pan American Tae Kwon Do Union (PATU).

Of the pair of Creole fighters, the most outstanding was González, who won a silver medal after occupying second place in the -58 kilogram (kg) division of the men’s branch. The Creole lost to the Canadian Noah Nacsa in the Grand Final.

Peña’s work

Peña, for his part, won a bronze in the -54 kg category. His dream of reaching the final was cut short after losing to Mexican Alejandro Dzul in the penultimate stage.

Edén Rivas, a sports journalist from Anzoátegui who lives in the Peruvian capital, reported that González belongs to the Jacobi club, while Peña is a student at the Hong Ki Kim academy.

During the competition, the duo was under the direction of coach Alejandro Peña, who announced that the national team included native Gabriela Rosales (-46 kg), who had a chance to climb onto the podium in the women’s category, but could not show all her talent in Inca territory due to an injury.

Wish of Venezuelans

Peña announced that the national representatives hope to participate in the Havana Open, Cuba, which will take place from October 17 to 20 and will be organized by PATU.

He said that the competition, in which prizes will be awarded in the cadet, junior and senior categories, will bring together the most important fighters in America and for that reason, his pupils want to attend, although they do not have sufficient financial resources to cover their expenses.

For this reason, the instructor called on public and private institutions to support taekwondo practitioners so that they can fulfill their desire to represent Venezuela in the Antilles.

“This year we stopped attending similar events in Ecuador and Brazil due to lack of money and we don’t want that to happen again, because the kids need to earn points (valid for the PATU ranking for the Pan American Youth Games in Asunción 2025),” explained Peña. “As long as they win and can get on the podium in different competitions, they will be on the path to excellence because they will gain the necessary experience. We hope that they can participate in more major events,”

Valencia / Joseph Ñambre