Albania vows to bounce back
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 27 Oct 2010
Having been eliminated right in the first round in the just-concluded World Women?s Boxing Championships, Filipina Annie Albania is not about to let that debacle affect her quest for top honor in the coming Asian Games.
?Masyado akong kumpiyansa at nag-relax knowing I was leading after two rounds,? Albania admitted in an interview with the MANILA STANDARD during a break in her training at the Philippine Sports Commission gym in Baguio City.
?Hindi ko naman ugali na magrelax sa laban, kung bakit naman naisipan kong gawin yun noon. Pero lesson yun para sa akin. Naipangako ko na babawi ako sa Asian Games at pipiliting manalo ng gold medal,? she vowed.
Albania recalled that she was ahead by two points against the opponent from Turkey in their first round bout, but failed to score in the payoff period that caused her the fight and the chance to stay in contention a medal in the flyweight where she romped off with the silver medal in the same tournament two years ago in China.
The former thrower and member of the national training pool in athletics said to bounce back from that lackluster showing in the world tourney, she is religiously following every bit of the training regimen prepared by her coaches, including sparring with male members of the Asian Games-bound national team.
Grabe and ensayo ko ngayon. Araw-araw kalaban ko mga lalaki, kaya tinign ko may paglalagyan na ako sa China,? she said in reference to Guangzhou, site of the 16th edition of the quadrennial conclave Nov. 12-27.
?Si Coach Recaido (1994 Asian Games gold medalist Elias Recaido) ang na-assign sa akin na mag-train at marmi akong natutuhan sa kanya, lalo na sa style sa opensa, ? she said.
?That, coupled with the fact that I had sparring with the team?s male members has given back my confidence in myself. Hindi ako nangangako, but what I can say is lalaban tayo ng patayan, makamit lamang ang minimithi natin para sa bansa,? she added.
The 28 year-old native of Banga town in South Cotabato, cited Cancan Ren, her conqueror in the gold medal fight in the 2008 edition of the world championship, will most-likely be the biggest block in her bid.
?Pero kabisado ko na ang style niya at galaw. Isa siya sa mga tinao ko nang manalo ako ng gold medal sa Asian Indoor Games, kaya kumbaga, patas lang ang laban,? Albania, the youngest of the brood of six of Felizardo (deceased) and Corazon, said.
She also expects the perennial contenders Thais and the Indonesians as to give her and Ren trouble in their campaign.
Although introduced to boxing by her father nine years ago, the three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist actually started her athletic career in javelin, discus and shot put, events that earned for her slots in the national training pool as well as scholarship at the University of the East.
After having been prevailed upon by Father Felizardo to transfer to the art of sweet science, she tried out for the Philippine team for the 2001 SEA Games and easily made it.
It was four years later in Manila that she rose to prominence ruling the 51-kilogram division. She defended the title twice ? in 2007 in Thailand and in 2009 in Laos.
(File photo of Annie Albania with the author last year at SCOOP)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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