CAPAS, Tarlac -- Chino Sy Tancontian of Davao City delivered a gold medal for Team Philippines in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2019 sambo competition held at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) in Angeles, Pampanga Thursday, December 5.
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Sports Science college freshman defeated Gary Chow of Singapore in their men’s 82 kilograms division championship match, three days after his elder sister Sydney salvaged a women’s kurash bronze at the Laus Group Events Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Thailand’s Sonram Jenghor and Indonesia’s Rio Bahari copped one bronze each.
“’Yung mga matches ko naman po was very tough kasi ‘yung first match ko po against Thailand medyo experienced rin po kasi siya always ko po nakikita whenever nag co-compete kami abroad pero ngayon ko lang po kami nagtapat,” the 2nd Southeast Asia Sambo Championships gold medalist told SunStar Davao.
In the finals, Tancontian said he just followed the plan and the strategy laid out by his coaches in battling Chow.
He also said it was overwhelming to be able to compete in the first ever biennial meet.
“Yung pagpanalo ko naman po ng gold bonus na po talaga sa akin kasi po playing sa harap po ng mga kapwa Filipino and winning while marami po nagsusupport sa amin is a very very good start po for us to propagate sambo rin po,” said the Dabawenyo who also clinched a bronze in the junior -81 kilograms division of the International Judo Federation (IJF)-sanctioned Asian Cup Cadets and Junior Championships 2019 at the Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground in Hong Kong.
On his Facebook post, he thanked those who believed in him and supported him all the way.
“I really want to thank Lord God for making this possible and for keeping me safe and focused during the entire match. Thank you to my beloved parents, relatives, friends who have been there through my ups and downs, all throughout my triumph and defeat, you guys are the ones who keep me going and you are the ones who motivate me to strive to become the better version of myself in and off the mats, so thank you very much!,” he wrote, also thanking
Philippine Sports Commission and Pilipinas Sambo for giving them the support they need for them to improve.
He went on saying, “I am really blessed to be able to win the SEA Games gold medal most especially it is held here in our hometown.”
Her parents Paolo and Janet and Sydney were in full force in cheering him and the rest of the national sambo team. Cabinet Secretary and Pilipinas Sambo Federation chairperson lawyer Karlo Nograles was also in attendance.
Aside from Tancontian, MMA fighter Mark Striegl of the Philippines also captured a sambo gold in men’s combat 74 kg after beating Jaswant Singh Ashvin Singh of Singapore.
Filipino Jose Rene Mondejar II got a bronze im men’s combat 90 kg.