Passion knows no bounds. Strength knows no gender.
“I feel like ‘yong journey ko sa taekwondo, no matter how hard it is as a babae, kung kaya ko naman [ay] ipapakita ko talaga.”
On the mat, a woman is rewriting the rules.
A familiar face in the Philippine taekwondo scene for over a decade, Shine Angela Fabros first entered the sport at the ripe age of ten and never looked back.
Today, the Baguio-local jin actively competes with the University of the Philippines (UP) Taekwondo Varsity Team in the Poomsae and Freestyle events, all while pursuing her studies as a community nutrition student.
First kicks
As if the stars had aligned, the black belter’s first encounter with the sport was through a physical education class in elementary school.
The goal back then for fourth-grader Shine was simple: to learn self-defense with her siblings.
“Before college, nagta-train kami sabay-sabay. Hatid-sundo kami ng [mother] namin from school papunta sa training center,” Fabros told Tinig ng Plaridel.
For the Fabros family, the mat was their second home. It was Shine’s older sister, June Fabros, who planted the seed. June’s success in taekwondo became the blueprint for Shine, her twin sister Rain and her brother Christian to take on the same path she did.
“It was fun naman din kasi parang may karamay ka all the time. May nagpupush sayo together na kaya pa, kaya pa kahit na nakakapagod.”
Not even a year after her first lesson, Shine and her siblings began training and competing in taekwondo outside of school – a decision fully supported by their parents.
All four Fabros kids still compete in the sport today, sometimes even having to compete against each other as they represent their respective schools. Among the four, only Shine and her older sister June study at State U.
‘You hit like a girl!’
When Fabros first joined martial arts in elementary school, she said all her teammates were girls. It was not until they entered their first competition that she realized how male-dominated the sport really was.
The timid elementary student-athlete would gain mixed reactions when people first found out what sport she competed in, including teasing from her male classmates.
But over time, Fabros didn’t just break stereotypes. She redefined them with every kick, turning doubt into confidence and opportunities to share the sport.
“Kapag nalalaman [ng iba] na taekwondo [ang sport ko]: ‘Oh! Hala, taekwondo siya! Huwag kayo lalapit nakakatakot baka sipain kayo,’” she said. “Ngayon: ‘Oh! Wow! Ang galing!’ [F]rom asar na ‘hala sisipain kayo niyan’ to ‘hala paturo.’”
Yet even after putting up a good fight, in the deafening silence between deep exhales lie the challenging realities all female athletes face.
“Minsan, hindi [nakikita] ang mga babae na malakas. Isa siyang challenge na kailangan[g] patunayan sa sarili. Na kung ano ang kaya ng lalaki, kaya ko rin,” Fabros said.
Taekwondo may be tough but being a female athlete never held her back from shining at her brightest.
“Hindi lang basta-basta physical strength ‘yong labanan, but it’s also about growth, discipline and ‘yong passion ng kababaihan sa sport na ito,” she said.
She hopes to see more women join taekwondo and have a stronger presence in the sport to overcome society’s limitations.
“Sana mas [makita ng mga tao] na hindi lang limited sa [particular] gender ang [pagiging] taekwondo athlete. Every woman can be as strong and determined as men,” she said. “As a woman, this sport is about building character and pushing boundaries. Kung ano ‘yong kaya ng iba, kaya rin natin.”
Kick it up a notch
Beyond the physical demands of the sport, it becomes a tough mental battle when faced with setbacks — a feat she herself had gone through two years ago.
“March 2024 nagstart ‘yong injury ko, but I still competed,” Fabros said.
It was frustrating for her to have to step back from what she spent years building and training for.
“Challenge siya sa akin kasi [nakakapanghina] na mag-step back muna and mag-rest. [K]ung ano ‘yong na-build ko for years, magsa-stop [ako] doon.”
Despite the pain, she pushed herself to compete early on, even clinching a bronze medal at the 2024 National Carlos Palanca Jr. Taekwondo Championships — until her body finally demanded rest.
By April 2024, her sprained ankle injury worsened into a bone fracture that required her to undergo surgery.
But even if her broken ankle was expected to heal, Shine and her family suffered an even more painful sorrow a month after.
“The woman in my life na nag-iinspire sa akin is ‘yong late mother ko,” she recalled. “‘Yong mother ko kasi, recently, after I got injured in 2024, kinuha siya ni Lord.”
It was during this time that she almost lost the confidence and strength she had been building. But through her mother, she learned to be patient and to trust the process.
“[Gusto kong] maging katulad niya, na kahit may ganoong pangyayari, I’ll keep on moving forward and pushing myself,” she said.
Through perseverance, she was cleared to play in November 2024 and took home a silver medal at the National Interschool Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
“Kahit na may ganoong pangyayari, mas [minahal] ko ‘yong sport. [H]indi ko naging option na mag-stop sa taekwondo, it has been a big part of my life,” she said.
From moments of doubt, Shine learned how to rebuild her confidence.
Her journey goes beyond mastering the sport; it is a story of mastering herself.
Every setback became fuel. Every challenge tested her resilience. And with every small victory, she proved something greater, not just to others, but to herself — that she was stronger than the doubts she once carried.
Her message to women everywhere: “Trust in yourselves and be with people na itutulak tayo pataas.”
No barrier, no doubt, no obstacle is bigger than the heart of an athlete who refuses to back down.
“Mararating natin kung ano ang gusto nating marating.”
