After capturing a Southeast Asian Games gold medal, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa sets his eyes on a much bigger prize: a spot in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Barbosa was a class of his own as he ruled the -54kg category on Monday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, defeating Reinaldy Atmanegara of Indonesia, 26-10.
At only 20-years-old, Barbosa has already amassed an impressive resume fit for a star. On top of his SEA Games triumph, he also struck gold in the 2019 Asia Open Taekwondo Championships in Vietnam. He also participated in the Korea Open Taekwondo Championships as well as the World Taekwondo Championships in Manchester last May. In just his second year at National University, he's already a two-time UAAP champion and a former rookie Most Valuable Player.
Despite his list of accolades, Barbosa remains hungry for an elusive spot in the Olympics.
"I'm not yet satisfied," Barbosa said. "I haven't been to the Olympics and that's where I really want to go. My goal and the goal of everyone in Philippine taekwondo is to make it into the Olympics."
Philippine taekwondo made great strides in this year's edition of the SEA Games, garnering a total of eight golds, nine silvers, and four bronze medals.
After contributing to the country's medal tally, Barbosa's next step towards his Olympic mission is competing in the Wuxi 2019 Taekwondo Grand Slam Championship Series, an Olympic Qualifier, later this month
"That's harder than the SEA Games," he said. "That's the road to the Olympics. I'll face opponents who are in the same weight class."
Barbosa, whose natural weight is at 58 or 57kg, decided to move down a category in the SEA Games in order to give a spot to his teammate. Though he'll face tougher foes in his upcoming matches in China, he shared that he'll be fighting more comfortably and at full strength when he goes back to his natural weight.
The young Bangued native still has a long road ahead of him but he remains driven to achieve his Olympic dream.
"My personal motivation comes from everything that I've been through, all the hardships, as well as those who inspire me every day - my coaches, my family, and everyone who has helped me," Barbosa said, revealing that he didn't go home to his family for three months in order to train for the SEA Games.
For now, Barbosa is simply happy that he was able to perform his best in the Philippine-hosted biennial meet in front of Filipinos, and most especially his family who traveled from their province to watch him fight.
"There was pressure in my fight because this is my first time in the SEA games, but I did my best for the country," he said.