Two Venezuelans competed in the 2024 Kukkiwon Pan American Cup (+Video)

Two Venezuelan taekwondo athletes participated in the Kukkiwon 2024 Pan American Cup, which took place in Lima, Peru, and brought together the best fighters from the new continent.

Yorgelhis Anuel and Mathías Álvarez were the national athletes who participated in the martial arts championship that was held from September 18 to 22 at the National Sports Village (Videna).

Of the pair of locals, the most outstanding was Álvarez, who won a gold medal in the pre-children’s category, after becoming the best in the -30 kilogram (kg) division of the men’s branch. He won two fights against representatives of the host country.

“He won first place after having challenged two Peruvian boys whom he defeated without any major setbacks. Mathías feels happy and dedicates his victory to Venezuela,” said a spokesman for the Jamza academy, to which Álvarez belongs, to Venezuelan journalist Astrid Jordán, who lives in Lima, after the contest. The Jamza member preferred to remain anonymous.

Anuel won a fight

Anuel was unable to make it onto the podium in the girls’ junior category, as she was only able to win one fight in the -45 kg category. She beat local Luciana Mamami and then lost in the second round.

Despite her setback, the native was satisfied with her performance and promised to train hard to win a gold medal in the future.

“I feel very excited to have competed and (now it’s time to practice harder) to be able to get good results,” said Anuel, who in 2023 won a silver medal in the -44 kg during an international event that also took place in Lima.

“This was the second time that Yorgelhis participated in a competition of this type and it has helped her gain experience. Last year she won a silver medal in the -44 kilos category in the children’s category and now she will prepare to compete in competitions in the cadet category. We have high hopes for her, because she has a lot of talent,” explained Eduardo Bustamante, president of the Sportmartial Academy to which Anuel belongs, after his time at the Gold Tiger club.

Importance of the event

Juan Román, president of the Peruvian Tae Kwon Do Sports Federation, said that the competition aimed to promote the practice of the martial art of South Korean origin in America, in order to generate a new generation of fighters.

He added that the tournament was sponsored by the Pan American Tae Kwon Do Union (PATU) and that circles were distributed in the pre-cadet A and B, children, cadet, youth and adult categories.

The youngsters obtained valid points for the PATU ranking, which will grant them tickets to a very important meeting that will be held in Paraguay in 2025.

“Athletes who excel in five events will go to the Pan American Youth Games in Asunción, Paraguay. So far, we have held two events: the first was held in Mexico and the second here in Peru. During the remainder of the year, competitions will be held in Cuba, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico to determine who will qualify for this great event,” explained Román, who added that during the 2024 Kukkiwon Cup, awards were given to the most outstanding exponents in the Poomsae (forms) and Kyorugui (combat) modalities.

Valencia / Joseph Ñambre