Courtesy: POC Media
NAGOYA, Japan – The Philippines delivered another historic medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, winning a bronze in karate.
The Philippine women’s kata team of Rebecca Cyril Torres, Samantha Veguillas, and Ysabelle Arrogante defeated Southeast Asian rival Thailand, 4-1, to claim the country’s first-ever medal in team kata at the quadrennial multisport conclave.
The trio attributed their success to strong teamwork and the unwavering support of their coaches and officials, including former NSA head Pocholo Veguillas, father of current president Richard Lim.
“It has been a long journey. Dami hirap ng mga teammates. Marami losses over the years, pero perform lang, laban lang hanggang dulo,” said an emotional Torres.
The Pinay karatekas, who were considered among the underdogs in the competition, opened their campaign with a 5-0 victory over Cambodia before falling to Iran, 0-5, in the semifinals.
“Wala na kami inisip kung sino kalaban. Basta we claim sa amin ang bronze,” said Arrogante.
News that the team had qualified for the November Karate World Cup, which they received the other day, provided an added boost to their campaign.
“Meron kaming World Cup, kahapon lang namin nalaman. Na-inspire kami, kaya itutuloy pa namin ito, yung magandang resulta,” she added.
The bronze marked the third straight Asian Games podium finish for Filipina karatekas, following Junna Tsukii’s bronze in 2018 and Sakura Alforte’s medal in 2023.
Alforte, an individual kata athlete, missed this year’s Asiad after a new ruling required all members of the squad to compete in team kata.
Karate head Richard Lim, himself an Asian Games bronze medalist in the 1994 Hiroshima Games, believes the victory will encourage the rest of the national karate team and the Philippine delegation.
“Big boost sa karate. Nakita natin magaling ang Pilipino, tiwala lang. Maka-inspire din ito sa delegation dito. Dami pa lalaban,” Lim said.
Coach Sonny Montalvo, meanwhile, commended the girls for their dedication and sacrifices, including putting their studies on hold and temporarily leaving their families to train.
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