It took barely a minute for Charlie Ratcliff to assert her dominance, finishing off Nakanantaphon Khaihong with a neck crank in the gold medal bout of the girls’ mixed martial arts at the Asian Youth Games on Saturday at Exhibition World Bahrain.
The crowd hadn’t even settled into their seats — the referee stopped the fight with a minute and 57 seconds left in the first round — when Ratcliff was declared the winner of the girls’ 45kg modern MMA class, delivering the Philippines’ second gold medal of the sports meet.
The 16-year-old from Calatrava, Negros Occidental, joined pesilat Kram Airam Carpio of Santa Cruz, Laguna, as gold medalists for the Philippines.
Charlie’s brother, Travis, earlier took silver in the boys’ traditional MMA 60kg class, with Iran’s Hatamianafshari Amirmohammad claiming gold by unanimous decision.
“This gold medal was expected,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, overseeing the country’s participation in the AYG for the first time.
“There was no doubt — we would surpass the previous haul,” Tolentino added, referring to the two golds and three silvers the Philippines earned in Nanjing in 2012.
“And we still have a lot of potential winners. Meron pa tayong volleyball. Volleyball tahimik lang yan pero andyan lang yan. We still have boxing, weightlifting — marami pang pagkukunan, pati jiujitsu.”
Philippine delegation Chef de Mission Ramon “Tats” Suzara expressed satisfaction with the growing medal haul, noting that it should relieve pressure on the rest of the team rather than add to it.
“I always tell our players — in volleyball and in other sports — to just have fun. Don’t let the pressure get to you. Especially for our young athletes: when you play, play like you’ve got nothing to lose. Just enjoy the game. Ganun lang lagi,” said Suzara.
In muay, Jan Brix Ramiscal (16–17) and Zeth Gabriel Bueno (14–15) reached the Wai Kru finals, securing at least bronze medals for the Philippines. Ramiscal scored 9.17, while Bueno tallied 9.03.
Ramiscal also advanced to the mixed team Mai Muay finals, guaranteeing a second medal.
Iyesha Blair Bituin is assured of bronze in girls’ -51kg combat (16–17) after reaching the semifinals against Cambodia’s Sreypenh Om. Lyrie Anie Ngina (14–15) and Jasmine Dagame (16–17) also secured virtual bronze in Wai Kru, with gold still within reach.
At Bahrain National Stadium, Pi Durden Wangkay qualified for the boys’ 200m final with a 22.22-second run in the heats. Naomi Cesar (2:19.74) and Mia Guillergan (2:20.09) advanced in the girls’ 800m, placing second and fourth, respectively, in their heats.
