With a total of 12 medals, the taekwondo team from the Industrial University of Santander (UIS) ended its outstanding participation in the 2025 Ascún National Games.
On the last day of competition, dedicated to black belt fights and the TK3 modality, the UIS added two new medals: a silver medal won by the advanced men’s team in TK3, made up of Manuel Delgado (Chemistry), Samuel Villabona (Mechanical Engineering), and Johan Rico (Professional Technician in Cultural and Creative Project Execution); and a bronze medal won by Juan Pablo Páez Cruz, a student in the Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages with an Emphasis in English, in the black belt -54 kg category.
“These games were very exciting because, being my first competition, I am taking home two medals, one silver and one bronze, representing the UIS. Hopefully next time it will be a gold,” said Johan Rico, UIS taekwondo athlete.
In total, the UIS taekwondo team won two gold medals, three silver medals, and seven bronze medals. “We missed out on some finals, about three in which we had a chance, but for one reason or another, things didn’t work out for us. Now we have to keep preparing for next year and go for more gold medals,” said Giovanny Vega, coach of the UIS taekwondo team.
The weekend also brought good results in other disciplines. In tennis, the women’s team made up of María Paula Orduz, Nohora Nonsoque, and Camila Argüello, under the direction of coach Juan Pablo Bernal, took third place overall, contributing two bronze medals to the UIS medal count.
Likewise, the women’s rugby team finished in fourth place after losing the bronze medal match to the Technological University of Pereira. “We are a team that was formed this year, and we are proud to hold the name of the UIS high. We gave it our all on the field, and when you give it your all, you feel satisfied,” said Shara Camila Tulcán Delgado, a member of the UIS women’s rugby team.
For its part, the men’s volleyball team finished the group stage undefeated and will face the University of Quindío in the quarterfinals on Monday, October 28, at the UIS Coliseum. “We are happy to have finished the group stage undefeated. It has been the result of constant training throughout the year. We are ready for the upcoming matches and want to uphold the good name of the UIS,” said Iván Gómez, a player on the UIS men’s volleyball team.
With these results, the Industrial University of Santander has won a total of 45 medals: 8 gold, 11 silver, and 26 bronze, reaffirming its athletic growth in this edition of the 2025 Ascún National Games.
