HAVING a karatedo chief instructor for a father paved the way for Atsuko Kaiyel Tan to be lured into the sport at age three.
Atsuko, six, is the eldest daughter of 4th dan blackbelt Rommel Tan who is the head of the Association for the Advancement of Karate (AAK) in Davao.
Rommel, in an interview with VoxPop Davao, said by the time Kaiyel started, he saw her daughter improved year by year.
"Nung nag pa-practice ako dati, ninanakaw ni Kaiyel 'yung mga kata ko by the time I saw her potential," the proud father said.
The younger Tan first joined the SM International Championships in 2014 and won a gold in kata. A rare feat that was repeated several times like in the third Kuala Lumpur Mayor's Cup, 16th edition of the Malaysian Milo Open Karate Tournament and the 17th Malaysian Milo Open Karate Tournament - accomplishments that earned her 2016 So Kim Cheng Female Athlete of Year award.
Kaiyel snared another gold in the 2017 Adidas BMP International Karate Championships where she topped the girls kata six to seven years old and settled for silver in the kumite division.
She dreams of becoming a medical doctor and the world's best karateka.
"Gusto ko po maging doctor kasi nurse po si mama," the six-year-old 5th
Kyu purple-belt said.
Growing up with her grandmother beside her, Kaiyel was raised to be a God-fearing child.
"Hindi po ako natatakot o kinakabahan pag may laro, kasi po sabi ni Lord dapat malakas," she said, citing that her grandma instilled in her to be grateful to God for all blessings.
Kaiyel and her AAK-Davao teammates continue to train at Beefit Gym along Mt. Apo Street for an upcoming tournament in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.