Davao City's Chino Sy Tancontian secured another victory for the Philippines, claiming a gold medal in the men's -98 kilograms division of the 2024 Grand Prix de Sambo de Paris on Saturday, June 1.
The 23-year-old dominated all three opponents in the round-robin format.
In his first match, Tancontian staged a come-from-behind victory over Dimitry Khoudoian of France with a submission. Despite trailing early, Tancontian finished strong with an armbar.
He continued his winning streak with consecutive victories against Pedro Nilson Dias de Vega of Switzerland and Didier Biansomba of France, earning points through throws and pins.
(I feel really good about this win for the country because I faced some tough challenges in my matches, especially in my first one where I fell behind early in the score. My opponent was a Georgian representing France)," Tancontian said in a Messenger interview with SunStar Davao on Sunday afternoon, June 2.
He added,
(It feels good because every time we win for the Philippines, I feel like our training and sacrifices are paying off)."
Tancontian acknowledged room for improvement despite his golden performance.
"So papagbutihin ko pa lalo ang training ko po at idedevelop ko po yung mga areas na medyo nahihirapan po ako So, I will continue to work even harder in my training to develop areas where I'm facing difficulties)," Tancontian said.
In March this year, he also clinched a gold medal in the Dutch Open 2024 International Sambo Tournament held in the Netherlands.
According to Tancontian's mother, Janet, his sister Sydney, a consistent international sambo champion, was unable to join the team in Paris because she lost her passport in Singapore. Sydney had to return to Manila to process a new passport in time for the upcoming Asian Championships set for late this month.
Aislinn Agnes "AC" Yap added another gold medal for the country while Mark "Mugen" Striegl copped a bronze.
Yap claimed victory in two matches in the women's -80kg category, defeating her French opponents.
On the other hand, Striegl lost to a Ukrainian opponent after securing wins against players from France and Belgium.
Paolo Tancontian, the president of Pilipinas Sambo Federation Inc. (PSFI), led the lean national sambo team in Paris. MLSA