Kurt Bryan Dela Vega Barbosa OLY (born June 8, 1999[2]) is a Filipino taekwondo athlete who competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Filipino | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 8, 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Bangued, Abra | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | ? | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | −58 kg (−128 lb) category | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Taekwondo | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | –54 kg, –58 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | NU Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | One Mind Taekwondo (Abra)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Carlos Padilla | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Career
editCollege
editBarbosa, a student of the National University, has competed in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). In 2018 during UAAP Season 81, Barbosa competing in the finweight category was named Rookie Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player for the UAAP's taekwondo tournament.[3]
National team
editKurt Barbosa, a native of Bangued, Abra,[4] was scouted for the Philippine national team during his participation in the Philippine National Games where he represented his home province, and became part of the Philippine Taekwondo Association's grassroots program.[5] Barbosa became part of the national team in 2019 and was placed under the tutelage of coach Carlos Padilla.[6]
He participated in the 2019 World Taekwondo Championships in the men's finweight category, although he failed to advance from the Round of 64 after his Thai opponent Ramnarong Sawekwiharee eliminated him from the tournament.
Barbosa competed at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, which was hosted at home in the Philippines. He clinched a gold medal for the host delegation in taekwondo by besting the men's -54 kg category.[7]
2020 Summer Olympics
editBarbosa qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the 2021 Asian Qualification Tournament in Amman, Jordan.[8] He qualified for the Olympics through a top two finish, by beating Jordanian athlete Zaid Alhalawani despite trailing behind his opponent 12 seconds prior to the end of their match.[9] He is the first Filipino taekwondo male athlete to qualify since Tshomlee Go who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics[5]
Competing in the Men's −58 kg, Barbosa was scheduled to fight against top-ranked South Korean athlete Jang Jun, who also won gold in the 2019 World Taekwondo Championships, in the Round of 16.[10] Barbosa suffered a defeat, but still could have figure in the repechage to potentially clinch a bronze medal if Jang progressed all the way to the final.[11] However Jang lost to Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi of Tunisia in the semifinal, ending Barbosa's Olympic medal bid.[12]
Personal life
editKurt Bryan Barbosa has two younger siblings, Kurt Maverick, being the second oldest who is also a taekwondo athlete [1] and Sheena Angel, the youngest who is an aspiring dancer.
References
edit- ^ a b "Abreño brothers, Taekwondo medalists at the Philippine National Games". abra.gov.ph. Aba Provincial Government. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ "BARBOSA, Kurt Bryan". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- ^ Valderrama, Aeron Paul (November 10, 2018). "Rookie-MVP Kurt Barbosa delivers NU back-to-back titles". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ Leongson, Randolph (December 10, 2019). "Pinoy jin Kurt Bryan Barbosa eyes Olympic ticket after SEA Games gold". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Reyes, Marc Anthony (May 24, 2021). "Barbosa has tools to win medal in Tokyo". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ Ramos, Josef (May 24, 2021). "Never say die". BusinessMirror. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ Leongson, Randolph (December 9, 2019). "Kurt Barbosa delivers lone gold for PH on final day of SEAG taekwondo". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ "Asian Qualification Tournament concludes with Olympic places for seven countries". World Taekwondo. May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ Yumol, David Tristan (May 22, 2021). "PH taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa qualifies for Tokyo Olympics". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ Ochoa, Francis T. J. (July 22, 2021). "Barbosa faces tournament favorite in opening taekwondo match". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ Morales, Luisa (July 24, 2021). "Taekwondo's Kurt Barbosa can still win an Olympic medal. Here's how". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ Lojo, Michelle (July 24, 2021). "Olympic medal quest ends for Filipino taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 24, 2021.