THE nine-member Super Karate Kids of the country went home triumphant after snaring four gold, one silver and eight bronze medals in Sixth Korea Open International Karatedo Championships in Busan, South Korea.
Leading the medals tally for the Philippines is Jamie Christine Lim, who bagged two gold medals in the 13 years old kata and kumite event.
Lim was also a double gold medalist in the 3rd Asian KOI Karate Championships held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last December 2009.
De La Salle Zobel standout Alisa Cifra took the gold medal in the ladies cadet- 54kg kumite event, while Jose Raphael Habalo, a fourth grader from Xavier School, bagged the gold medal in the 9-year-old boys kumite event which was dominated by Russian players.
Cifra and Habalo also won gold medals in their respective kumite events at the 6th World Shitoryu Karatedo Championships held in Beijing, China in August last year.
The country’s lone silver medal came from Alenn Castro in the 13 years old kumite.
The bronze medalists were Cifra for the cadet kata event; Joshua Balao, bronze in the 13 years kata and kumite events; Lars Peterson, bronze in the 11 years kata and kumite events; Daniel Uson, bronze in 11 years old kata; Rafael Lim, bronze in 11 years old; and Castro, bronze in 13 years old kumite.
Headed by coaches Richard Antony Lim and Juan Carlos Verguillas, the Association for the Advacement of Karatedo (AAK) Team Philippines is composed of athletes who were consistent winners in the yearly Super Karate Kids tilt at the SM Supermalls. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)