Davao City's Sydney Sy Tancontian earned a bronze medal for the Philippines in the women's +72 kg division at the recently concluded 2024 World Beach SAMBO Championships in Casablanca, Morocco.
Her teammate, Jeniva Consigna, also secured a bronze in the women's 72kg category.
The 24-year-old Tancontian prevailed in her quarterfinal match against Sylla Ramatoulaye of Guinea but was defeated by Katsiaryna Kaliuzhnaya in the semifinals, 0-1.
Consigna advanced to the semifinals after her quarterfinal victory over Dauletzhan Nazereke of Kazakhstan but lost to Volha Maleika of Romania.
In a Messenger interview with SunStar Davao on September 10, 2024, Tancontian expressed her joy about the competition, noting that playing on sand offered a unique experience.
She said that her semifinal opponent was from Romania and in the same weight category, but they had never faced each other in sports sambo before. "Pero nagkasubukan po kami dito naman po sa beach sambo (But we faced off here in beach sambo)," Tancontian said.
The Dabawenya World Sambo bronze winner acknowledged room for improvement but expressed satisfaction with her performance, especially since it was their first time competing in beach sambo.
(But considering this was our first time playing beach sambo, I’m very happy because not only did I win a medal, but my teammate did as well. I’m very proud and happy that my teammates are also competing well in their respective weight classes)," she added.
She found the experience memorable because both she and her teammate won medals. She felt immense pride in her teammate's performance, especially as she now shares her experiences with the team members.
Looking ahead, Tancontian is preparing for the Korea Open in October and the World Championships in November. MLSA