Abreño Taekwondo athlete Kurt Bryan Dela Vega Barbosa, 19, of Zone 7, Bangued bagged fourth place of the World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champion Series in Wuxi, China, on April 26-28, 2019.

He is now preparing for the World Taekwondo Championship on May 15-20, 2019, in Manchester, United Kingdom, to represent the Philippines.

Barbosa draws inspiration from the tireless efforts and support of his parents, Archie and Regina Barbosa.

As an Abreño, he felt honored to give pride to the province. He said there are more Abreños who excel in sports and are also eager to go overseas and represent the country. They just need more support from their family and community.

Barbosa started practicing Taekwondo at the age of six where he developed values like respect and discipline. He said Taekwondo brings out the best in him and improved his health.

Being a Taekwondo athlete, he was able to enrol at the National University in Manila taking up BS Psychology.

His Taekwondo virtuosity brought him to the Palarong Pambansa and UAAP where he won gold medals.

He was also awarded the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player during the 2018 University Athletic Association of the Philippines season 81.

He thanked the people who supported him throughout the competition especially his parents and his coaches Carlos Padilla, Christian Al Dela Cruz, and Glenn Buenafe.