Karatekas from Xavier bag 7 golds

TEAM AAK-Philippines, led by Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) junior awardee Adam Ortiz Bondoc and Paulo Manuel Gorospe, claimed 23 medals, including seven golds, to finish 5th overall in the 7th Karate-do Gojukai Association Global Championship at the Richmond Olympic Oval in British Columbia, Canada recently.

Over 500 young karatekas from 24 countries competed in the four-day event with the Philippines, composed of only 14 athletes, emerging as the most productive contingent in the International Karate Federation-sanctioned meet.

“To all the AAK players, job well done! Your AAK family is proud of you for all the hardships and sacrifice that you have given this past few months,” said AAK coach and former international champion Richard Lim.

Bondoc, a Grade 11 International Baccalaureate student and 2017 Junior Athlete of the Year of the PSA won gold in the male individual junior’s 16-17 years old KUMITE (sparring) event. He defeated his opponents from Chinese Taipei, South Africa, Canada and England in the preliminaries before dominating Shahab Alwi Faris of Indoneisa, 8-0, in the championship match.

Paulo, 8, a Grade 3 student of Xavier School-Greenhills, beat Benjamin La of Canada, 3-2, to claim the gold in the boys 7-8 yrs. old individual Kata before pulling off another brilliant victory against a Hungarian opponent in the individual kumite.

Nichole Erica Dantes, a 17-year old student from Colegio San Agustin, claimed the gold in the Bunkai event (participated by 2 players and performed the actual combat application of the Kata), before winning a silver in the Open team event and bronze in the individual kumite.

Also showing excellence was 13year old Matthea Lazo of Immaculate Conception Academy, winning gold in the Individual Girls Kumite 12-13 years old +50kgs and silver in the Individual Girls Kata 12-13 years old.