DESPITE being down by five, 43-48, with 12 seconds left in his Olympic qualifying semifinals match, Filipino taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa knew that he already had this one in the bag.

Sensing his Jordanian foe Zaid Al-Halawani was already spent, Barbosa found his second win and unleashed a flurry of kicks, wiping out the lead and earning a 50-49 victory at the buzzer.

Barbosa's victory in the men's -58 km category of the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Amman, Jordan on May 22 gave him a ticket to the Olympic games, as he realized his dream.

In a state of ecstasy, Barbosa ran from the mats to his coach Caloy Garcia to celebrate the triumph.

'I ran to coach Caloy that time because we were shocked. Our dream just [got] realized. So, I ran and hugged him. We celebrated and shouted there. It's surprising because you don't know that these moments can happen,' Barsbosa shared with The Manila Times, recalling his winning moment.

'It was overwhelming when I was looking at the time, and he led. I said, 'This is it.' He ran to me and said, 'We did it, coach! We did it, coach!' We were [very] happy to get the Olympic ticket not just for Kurt, but also for the country,' said Garcia.

With the win, Barbosa became the ninth Filipino athlete to qualify for the Tokyo Games while also becoming the first Filipino male taekwondo jin to make it to the Games since Tshomlee Go did in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Barbosa, a 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, was actually down by as much as 13 points, 28-41, in the contest. But giving up was just not his style; no matter how much the odds were stacked against him.

'Since I was a kid, I really [didn't] want to lose. I just didn't stop as long as there's time. Whatever happened, even if I lost, at least I showed that I don't give up,' said the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player.

Barbosa thanked everyone who supported him and his team throughout their Olympic quest.

'I want to thank everyone who supported us in this journey, especially the Philippine Taekwondo Association. Thank you also to PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), POC (Philippine Olympic Committee), MVPSF (Manny V Pangilinan Sports Foundation), Unicipi brand, to my teammates and partners,' he said.

Ultimately, Barbosa showed what it's like to fight for your dreams. That's his message: go for your dreams.

'Don't give up on your dream. Don't focus on the struggle. Think about your dream.'