Beginner's luck?
Some may say so, but Davao's kurash newbie Jack Escarpe leaned on his vast judo experience to escape with a 1-0 win over Boonrangsee Apicha of Thailand in their 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games men's -73kg gold medal match at the Hoài Đức District Sporting Hall in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The 30-year-old Escarpe, a Seaman Second Class (SN2) of the Philippine Coastguard, said, "Wala ko nag-expect na mag-gold, Ma'am, pero kabalo ko nga maglisod gyud sa ako akong kalaban bago ko nila mapildi (I did not expect to win a gold but I knew my opponent would have a hard time before beating me)."
He first humbled the 2019 Philippines SEA Games champion from Vietnam before toppling a Thai opponent.
"Enjoy ug kulba (It was enjoyable but nerve-racking)," he said of his first biennial meet experience playing kurash. "Enjoy kay makadula ko sa laing nasod pero kulba kay kong mapildi ko sa first dula, muuli ko nga wala'y medal (I enjoyed playing in a different country but I was also nervous since if I lost the first match, I would be coming home without any medal)."
He only joined the national kurash team in January 2021 after his five-year stint with the national judo team in 2016. He helped produce a team judo bronze in the 2019 Philippines SEA Games.
Escarpe dedicated his gold to his family (his wife and baby girl are also in Davao City), to his teammates in judo and kurash, University of Mindanao (UM) judo team and the Davao Judo Association. "Dili tungod sa tabang nila tanan, dili nko ni makuha (For without their help, I cannot achieve this)," he added.
Humble beginning
Escarpe, the third in the brood of four, was born in Governor Generoso in Davao Oriental but his family migrated to Toril, Davao City in 2008 where his father used to earn by driving passengers around with his payong-payong and his mother was then a domestic helper.
But for several years now, he and his siblings help their parents out with their day-to-day expenses.
He applied for a varsity scholarship at UM as a judo player, which he attributed to his finishing his BS in Criminology degree in 2015. He is also a licensed criminologist.
As a UM judoka, he won a gold medal for Davao Region in the National Prisaa Games 2014 in Tagum City.
He applied at the PCG through the regular procedure of queueing to take an exam.
The shift from judo to kurash was inevitable for him. "Mas dako ang chance na makadula ko sa kurash, Ma'am kay naa mi elimination. Sa judo man gud katong nga Fil-Jap lang makadula sa akong timbang (I've got a better chance to compete in kurash since we have an elimination. In judo, only Filipino-Japanese with the same weight as mine can usually play)," he said.
Under Republic Act 10699, Escarpe is set to receive a P300,000 cash incentive from the national government through the Philippine Sports Commission. When asked about his plan with his bonus, he said he has not thought of it yet.
The national kurash team returned to the country on May 14, 2022. Among them is Dabawenya Sydney Sy Tancontian who annexed a silver in women's kurash. MLSA