JUST a little over a year since the country’s unprecedented historic success in the Paris Olympic Games, a clutch of Filipino bets with sterling international championship pedigrees will aim to stamp their class in the 12th World Games opening tomorrow at the Tianfu International Convention Centre in Chengdu, China.
They are led by cue aces Rubilen Amit and Chezka Centeno, who, together with 2006 Doha Asian Games silver medalist Jeffrey de Luna, aim to dominate the women’s and men’s singles 10-ball event opening on Sunday at the Civil Aviation Flight University of the China Billiards Stadium.
They will be keen on duplicating the accomplishment of newly-minted world 9-ball champion Carlo Biado, who captured the gold medal in the event in the 2017 games in Wroclaw, Poland.
“Siyempre gusto ko rin maging champion po kami, at maganda kung mahkatapat kami ni ate Bingkay (Amit’s nickname) sa finals para gold and silver agad,” noted Centeno, 27, who took the world 10-ball title in 2023 Klagenfurt, Austria.
She and Amit, a two-time world 10-ball champion and current world 9-ball queen, will be among the 12 elite players in the competition that will be a single-elimination knockout until the finale.
“Siyempre naniniwala akong mananalo rito. Nagkausap nga kami ni Carlo kamakailan lang at sinabi niya na malaki ang pag-asa kong manalo sa World Games,” said De Luna, who booked his ticket in the quadrennial games for non-Olympic sports after reaching the semifinals of the Asian 10-ball meet in Doha, Qatar.
“Dahil 10-ball, dapat maging consistent ang break mo rito,” said the Pinoy “Bull,” who is known for his powerful breaks.
Joining the cue aces as top gold prospects are jiu-jitsu standouts Annie Ramirez and Kaila Napolis, who have also proven their mettle on the international stage.
Ramirez, 34, emerged as world champion in 2019 and also copped her first Asian Games gold in the women’s 57-kilogram division in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Napolis, 25, ruled the women’s 52kg category in the 2023 World Combat Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
They are fresh from strong performances in the recent Asian championships in Amman, Jordan, with Ramirez taking the gold in her weight class and Napolis the silver in her weight category.
Ramirez and Napolis will be up against five other top athletes in their respective divisions, and in the best scenario could wind up with as many as two mints each since they will also vie in the open weight division.
Given her experience, Ramirez, also a gold medalist in the 2017 Asian and Indoor Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, said this would play a critical role in her second outing at the World Games after making her debut in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022.
“I finished only fifth the last time but that was because I was injured. Ngayon fit na ako kaya puwede kong gamiting ang pagiging beterano ko para manalo ng ginto,” she said.
Napolis, 25, vowed not to be awed by her maiden appearance at the Games, although she acknowledged that “medyo kinakabahan kasi malaking event po ito. Lahat dito malalakas at walang freebie.”
Former world kickboxing titleholder and Paris Olympian Hergie Bacyadan is also angling for golden glory, hoping that she will be able to go all the way in adding another prestigious championship to her resume.
“Siyempre, gusto ko rin pong manalo sa World Games. Malaking bagay ito sa akin,” said the 30-year-old pride of Kalinga, Benguet, who also ruled the women’s 70kg division in last year’s Asian Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.
