Kaila Napolis settled for the silver medal after falling to South Korea’s Eon Ju Im in the women’s ju-jitsu -52-kilogram ne-waza finals on Sunday at the Jianyang Cultural and Sports Centre Gymnasium in Chengdu, China.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the final seconds, Napolis attempted a sweep to score and secure the victory. However, Im managed to gain the upper hand just before the clock expired, mounting on top of the Filipina grappler and earning a positional advantage that secured the deciding point.
Despite the loss, Napolis gave the Philippines something to celebrate by winning the country’s first medal here in Chengdu after three days of competition.
Napolis and the rest of the national team are supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee under the leadership of President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, as well as the Philippine Sports Commission.
“I am a little disappointed that I did not get the crucial point. But I am still grateful I was able to represent the country here,” Napolis said.
Meanwhile, Annie Ramirez, who was loudly shouting instructions from the spectators’ row to support her teammate, dropped two bouts to bow out in the women’s -57kg class. She, however, has a chance to bounce back in the open ne-waza category.
At the Sancha Lake Taohuadao Arena, Raph Trinidad came tantalizingly close to winning bronze in the men’s cable wakeboard event. A late mistake in his final stunt, however, denied him a medal.
Cheered on by his peers and even the Chinese crowd — with Trinidad being a prominent figure in extreme water sports — the Filipino athlete had an excellent run in his second attempt before misreading his approach on an aerial trick, costing him crucial points.
Trinidad finished fourth with 56.60 points. Frenchman Loic Deschaux topped the competition with a solid 95.00 points, while Germans Max Milde (92.80) and Florian Weiherer (65.00) took silver and bronze, respectively.
In billiards, Chezka Centeno carried the fight in the women’s 10-ball event after defeating Savannah Easton of the USA, 7-2. She will face hometown favorite Yu Han on Monday at 9 a.m.
Southeast Asian Games champion Rubilen Amit was unlucky in the preliminaries, bowing to Germany’s Pia Filler, 4-7. She will battle another Chinese opponent, Shasha Liu, at 3:30 p.m.
Krizan Faith Collado defeated Elisabetta Sirto of Italy, 2-0, in the women’s wushu sanda -52kg event at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium.
Carlos Bayron Jr. also took down Saydullo Abdurashitov, 2-0, in the men’s 56kg division.
