ALTHOUGH they won’t be competing in the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games this month, national arnis campaigners delivered two gold and two silver medals plus cash prizes in the International Martial Arts Contest in Chungju, South Korea.
Rhod Xhedrick Melad ruled the men’s individual weapon anyo (forms) to earn 1,000,000 won (around P49,000) while the tandem of Mark Pasinabo and rookie Kurt John Torreon Cristobal topped the weapons double anyo and split 1,000,000 won.
Mary Allin Lomarda bagged the silver medal in the women’s weapon individual anyo event and 500,000 won (P24,500) while the national men’s squad also took the silver in the team event and the 500,000 won prize.
“I was happy with my performance since this was my first time to compete abroad. Sana po maulit muli,” said Cristobal, 21, of his international debut with the national squad.
Aside from the Philippines and South Korea, also seeing action in the three-day competition held from Aug. 18 to 20 were the national teams of Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia and Indonesia, among others.
Cristobal is a product of the grassroots sports programs of PSC commissioner Ed Hayco while he was still the chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission. He was supposed to compete in the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games last May until the hosts decided to drop his weight division in the sparring events.
“Hopefully, arnis will be included in the 2025 Thailand SEA Games, which is what Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation president Migz Zubiri is working on,” said Cristobal, an athletic scholar at the Cebu Normal College in Cebu City.
