LIKE father like daughter, indeed.
Displaying the talent, skill and fighting heart that made his father, former national taekwondo jin Monsour del Rosario, famous, Isabella Zapanta del Rosario bagged the girls’ featherweight gold in the secondary division of the WNCAA taekwondo meet over the weekend at the San Beda Alabang gym in Muntinlupa.
Del Rosario beat Assumption varsity players Keanne Pumaren and Gabrielle Navarro in ruling the event, much to the delight of proud parents Monsour and Joy and elder sibling Matti, who witnessed her stunning performance in the kyorugi (sparring) event.
Showing resiliency in her opening match, the perky La Salle Zobel high schooler bounced back from a first-round loss by four points to Pumaren to win the next round by six points, extending the match to a deciding third.
In a bout that could have gone either way, Del Rosario, who drew a bye earlier, landed the telling hit to win the match by a point then outclassed Navarro, winning the first and two rounds by 12-0 and 14-2, respectively, in the finals.
“I am proud with my daughter Bella’s gutsy performance, especially in the first match. You do not lose if you get knocked down in the ring of life. You lose if you stay down and don’t get up,” said the elder Del Rosario.
“This experience of having won a major tournament is a big motivation and inspiration for my daughter and undoubtedly will make her an even better fighter in the future,” the Barcelona Olympic Games veteran and current president of the Asean Taekwondo Federation said.
