Clarenze Sarza claimed a silver medal in her first-ever SEA Games appearance, while three-time champion Kurt Barbosa suffered an upset on the opening day of the taekwondo kyorugi competitions Thursday at the Fashion Island Shopping Mall in Bangkok, Thailand.
The former National University standout put up a strong fight, especially in the first round of the women’s -46 kg gold medal match against hometown favorite Patcharan Poolkerd, but ultimately fell 7–1.
A dominant performance by the Thai athlete in the following round proved too much for Sarza, who lost 11–2 to the more experienced opponent.
“Almost, pero I did my best. This is a dream come true po kasi this is my first SEA Games,” said Sarza.
“Ang goal ko lang papunta rito is mag-enjoy sa first time ko. Pero thankful po kasi binigay ni Lord na makapunta ako ng Finals. I fell short — may kulang pa, may idadagdag pa. Pero grateful na kahit papaano naka-ambag ako ng silver for the Philippines,” she added.
The 25-year-old reached the final in her Games debut after defeating Ho Ee Jean of Malaysia in the quarterfinals and edging out Indonesia’s Ni Kadek Heni Prikasih, 2–0 (5–1, 8–6), in the semifinals.
Barbosa, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, missed out on a fourth consecutive SEA Games gold in the men’s -54 kg category after losing 1–2 to Vietnam’s Nguyen Hong Trong in the semifinals.
Taking home the bronze, the UAAP Season 81 Rookie-MVP could not replicate his earlier 2–1 (3–15, 13–11, 16–15) quarterfinal win over Thailand’s Wisawakorn Jaichoo.
The kyorugi competitions continue on Friday and Saturday, with the Philippines aiming to add more medals — especially gold — to their tally.
