Tachiana Mangin ends long Thai reign with SEA Games taekwondo gold

CHONBURI, Thailand – Taekwondo rising star Tachiana Mangin continues to impress at a young age as she won a gold medal in her first Southeast Asian Games stint.

The 18-year-old produced the Philippines’ seventh gold medal in this edition of the regional showpiece after a 2-0 win over home bet Kamonchanok Seeken of Thailand in the final of the women’s 49kg kyorugi at the Fashion Island Shopping Mall in Bangkok on Friday, December 12.

Her victory reinforced her caliber as a force in the international scene as it came a year after she won a historic gold medal in the 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea.

And what made Mangin’s triumph more impressive is the fact that the University of Santo Tomas standout ruled a division that had long been dominated by Thailand in the SEA Games.

Thailand won the event in each of the last eight editions, with two-time Olympic champion Panipak Wongpattanakit reigning in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Morever, Mangin went up against a formidable opponent in Seeken, who won silver medals in the women’s 46kg class in the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships and 2024 Asian Taekwondo Championships.

On her way to the final, Mangin also beat Phonnapha Djaniguian of Laos and Winda Dwi Putri of Indonesia. – Rappler.com