SYDNEY Sy Tancontian of Davao City, who was recently elected as one of the members of the Athletes Commission of International Sambo Fédération (Fias) 2020 to 2024, vowed to do better when she competes in a string of tournaments this year.

The 19-year-old University of Santo Tomas (UST) Sports Wellness and Management college freshman, who clinched a bronze medal in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2019 women’s kurash event, bared this during a recent Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum held at The Annex of SM City Davao.

“I will train harder,” she said.

Tancontian will see action in the Sambo World Sambo Cup slated March 20 to 22 in Moscow, Russia; World Beach Sambo Championships on April 24 to 26 in Cyprus; Asian Sambo Championships on June 19 to 21 in Bali, Indonesia; World Youth and Junior Sambo Championships; and World Senior Sambo Championships and Sambo Grand Prix.

But since she will be returning back to school this semester, she said she will have to iron out her schedule for training, competition and her classes.

“Last year kasi maraming travel (competitions) abroad. Start na ang school, adjust ulit ako, nanibago pa ako. Aayusin ko sked,” Tancontian said.

(There were a lot of travel and competitions abroad in 2019. Since it’s the start of class, I’ll have to adjust again and fix my schedule.)

She is also set to win another gold medal in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s judo competition. From women’s -78 gold medal she won last time, she hopes to win a gold in women’s +78 kgs division this year.

Tancontian annexed bronze in the World Youth and Juniors Sambo Championships 2019 at the Sports Complex Uzbekistan after salvaging bronzes in 2019 Chungju World Martial Arts Masterships in Chungju, South Korea in September 2019; World Sambo Championships 2018 held in Bucharest, Romania; and in the 2019 Sambo World Cup Kharlapiev Memorial Competition in Moscow, Russia in March 2019.

On the other hand, she said she was elated by her election to the Fias 2020 to 2024.

“Very honored po and masaya kasi magkakaroon po ako ng chance na maging voice po ng sambo athletes aside sa pagiging athlete po,” she said in a Facebook interview with SunStar Davao on Tuesday, January 14, 2020.

(I’m very honored and happy because I get to have a chance to be the voice of the sambo athletes, aside from being an athlete myself.)

The voting was held during the World Sambo Championship where all sambo players competed.