Pinoy Wushu Athletes Strike Gold
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 01 Nov 2012
MANILA (PNA) - A tiny three-man Philippine team scored a 3-0 medal harvest ? a pair of gold medals and a silver in the recent Wushu Sanda World Cup in Wyuishan China. Reigning world champions Dembert Arcita and Jesse Aligaga lived up to their top billing when they captured the gold medals in their respective weight categories in contrasting fashions both at the expense of fellow World Championships medalists from Vietnam.
Twenty-seven year old Arcita merely went through the motions in collecting his gold medal, needing only two rounds in outclassing Hoang Hong Tu in the 52-kg class. It was actually a repeat by Arcita over the Vietnamese crown pretender, whom he knocked out in the 2011 World tourney.
?My opponent was expecting I will rely on my fists as I did when I kayoed him the first time we fought. But, I surprised him with my grappling and kicking this time? Arcita after his victory.
Aligaga, 28 who like Arcita is an Ilongo, for his part had to put extra effort in disposing of Doan Yuan Cuong in the 48-kilogram finale bouncing back from a first round deficit to claim his prize.
Down after the opening salvo, the gritty Aligaga, who already owned a silver and a bronze medals in his previous World Cup stints, pummelled Doan with punch-kick combinations in the next two rounds to get the nods of the judges.
?I lost the first round but that thought me a lesson. Having read his strategy, I pressed my attacks in the next where he had a hard time hiding from my kicks and punches.?
Benjie Rivera, the only other Filipino athletes who saw action in this sixth edition of this blue-ribbon series, settled for the silver losing the gold to China?s Li Kang.
The youngest of the trio at 25 years yet the most seasoned?failed to muster the power that earned him the gold medals back-to-back in the World Cup 2006 and World Championship 2005.
Julian Camacho, Wushu Federation Philippines secretary general who acted as team manager, expressed disappointment over Rivera?s loss. ?Benjie piled up easy points and had a big lead in the early going but nanggigil siya. Perfect three for three sana.?
Aligaga?s and Arcita?s medals were the fourth and fifth gold for the country in the Wushu Sanda World Cup. The first and second were courtesy of another Ilonggo?Rene Catalan ? a few years back.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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