Jamie Lim gave the Philippine National Karate Team another gold in the 30th Southeast Asian Games after ruling the kumite individual female +61kg category, Monday at World Trade Center.
The daughter of PBA great Samboy Lim bested Indonesia’s Ceyco Zefanya in the final, 2-1, giving the country its second gold in the event after veteran karateka Junna Tsukii.
Lim defeated Malaysian Audrey Japyus in the quarterfinals, then beat Vu Thi Thao of Vietnam in the semis.
The second-generation athlete now has a SEA Games gold medal just like her dad, who won two golds with the men’s national cage team in the 1983 and 1985 editions of the regional meet.
“I’m very happy. I look up to my mom and dad so much. To even come close to him or compared to him and to mom, parang it’s so big for me. Kaya today is so special,” said the 22-year-old.
The feat was a huge victory for Lim considering that she stepped away from the sport for four long years to focus on academics. She only returned to Karate last July.
“Karate has always been in my heart. 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, how special is that? The timing is perfect. I got my goal sa academics and I think the signs just told me to,” she said.
2019 couldn’t be any better for Lim. The BS Mathematics major graduated summa cum laude from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and now she has snared a SEA Games gold.
“Summa cum laude is for mom, SEA Games gold is for dad. I can’t believe that both of them happened this year. 2019 is so perfect for me. I’m so grateful,” said an emotional Lim.
