By MARK REY MONTEJO
The Philippine karate team brought home six gold medals in the recent 11th Southeast Asian Karate Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.
Led by SEA Games and Asian Games medalist Sakura Alforte, the karatekas also bagged one silver and 16 bronzes for a total haul of 23 medals in the meet.
Alforte, 21, ruled the senior female kata event to banner the gold medalists also composed of Neil Mañalac (-70kgs Cadet Kumite), Joan Lumbao (-59ks women’s junior kumite), Arriane Brito (+68kg U21 Kumite), Alwyn Batican (-75 men’s individual kumite), and Kirk Zamayla (-55kg men’s U21 Individual Kumite).
Jamie Lim, a SEAG champion and the daughter of late PBA great Samboy Lim, was the lone silver recipient for PH after yielding to Vietnam’s Thi My Tam Hoang in the final round of -61kg senior female kumite.
She also won bronze in the women’s senior team kumite.
Meanwhile the bronze medal recipients for the Nationals were Rebecca Torres, Jeremy Nopre, Jordan Macalipay, Alexis Nicole Villacarlos (two), Nathaniel Olivar, Tyler Thompson, Zian Alexander, Abdulhakim Abudulrakim, Jan Michael Lozada, Gianne Amber Delacruz, Arianne Brito, Christian Lachica.
Cadets Team Kata Male, Seniors Team Kata Male, and Seniors Team Kumite Female also snatched bronze.
The Filipino wrapped up their campaign as fourth overall in the regional meet behind powerhouse Vietnam, who ruled the overall tally with 21 gold, 21 silver and 32 bronze medals. Thailand (13 gold-16 silver-31 bronze) and Indonesia (10-8-13) came in second and third, respectively.
