Panaboan racketeer upbeat in Japan tourney stint

PANABO City - Fourteen-year-old Kyla Cielo A. Bernaldez was unfazed by her defeat in Russia, as she sets her sights on bringing home the bacon in the Asian Junior Sports Exchange in Tokyo, Japan which kicked off yesterday.

The Team DavNor star table tennis racketeer, who hails from Panabo City, will slug it out in the international sporting event as a member of the Philippine Team.

Bernaldez lost her bid to win in the 6th Children of Asia International Sports Games in Yakutsk, Russia last month, which featured hundreds of young athletes aged 13-16 years old from 36 countries

In the first round of the tournament, Bernaldez lost 3-0 sets against her Singaporean opponent. But, she managed to get her composure back and beat her Russian rival in the next 3-0 sets duel.

During the following round of the games, however, she went against China, who is known for having the best table tennis players in the world. She did not stand a chance as she suffered a stunning defeat in a 3-0 set leading to her elimination in the competition.

However, the experience did not dampen her resolve as she remained optimistic stepping up her preparations to take on young champions from 18 international and Japanese cities in the international badminton and table tennis competitions in Tokyo.

In an interview with Cielo’s father, Edison Bernaldez who also coaches her, he said that Cielo is proud of her achievements.

“Na challege gyud to siya tung sa Russia, miski napildi siya, proud gihapon siya kay ang iyang nakalaban man sad kay China na we all know as number one in Table Tennis… She’s happy sa achievement niya… Padayon gihapon ang iyang pagtraining kay kailangan niya imaintain ang iyang standing as Table Tennis player. (She was really challenged in Russia , even though she lost, she still is proud because she played against China who we all know as number one in Table Tennis… She’s happy with her achievement… She carried on her training because she needs to maintain her standing as a Table Tennis player),” Mr. Bernaldez said.

The Asian Junior Sports Exchange aims to contribute to the “progress of youth athletic ability and the development of the next generation of athletes” in the region.