JAMIE Christine Lim and Junna Tsukii faced tough rivals yesterday and settled for silver medals in the minus 61kg and minus 50kg divisions, respectively, of kumite (sparring) at the close of the 17th Asian Senior Karate Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Lim fought Sarah Alameri of the United Arab Emirates on even terms until the latter was able to connect with the winning punch in the middle of the match, leaving the Filipina karateka a 1-2 loser in the finals of her maiden appearance in the continental meet.
“The match was pretty close and could have gone either way but Jamie’s rival was able to connect with that blow in the middle of the match that decided it all,” noted karate chief Ricky Lim, who witnessed both matches.
Tsukii also found two-time Asian champion Moldir Zhangbyrbay too tough to handle and absorbed a 5-9 loss.
“I believe that Junna could beat the Kazakh but there was a lot of pressure considering that we are playing in her hometown,” said the karate chief, adding that Tsukii had previously beaten Zhangbyrbay twice in the WKF Premier League Series.
He said it was one of the better outings of the national squad in the Asian competition that drew 400 entries from 23 countries in the trip backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.
“I am still happy with our overall finish because of the seven athletes we had in the tournament, we were able to bring home two silver and four bronze medals,” he said.
