Cebuano claims e-kata's top spot
Cebu’s James De los Santos claims No.1 spot in e-kata world rankings
Mission accomplished for decorated Cebuano karateka Orencio James de los Santos.
After months of hard work, dedication and perseverance, De los Santos finally achieved his goal of becoming the highest ranked online karateka in the world.
In the latest e-kata world rankings released by SportData on Thursday evening, the 30-year-old De los Santos jumped to No.1 in the individual male seniors division with 8950.00 points, surpassing erstwhile frontrunner Eduardo Garcia of Portugal who dropped to No.2 with 8575.00 points.
“After 7 months of competing in so many tournaments on a weekly basis, the hard work has paid off. It is now official:I am the new No.1 in the e-kata world rankings,” De los Santos proudly wrote on his Facebook page.
De los Santos’ rise on the top echelon was made even sweeter as it came on the very day he pocketed his 16th gold medal via the Golden League Karate eTournament Series #2. He edged world No.3 Silvio Cerone-Biagoni of South Africa in the finals, 25.7-23.9, to pad his lead in the world rankings.
In retrospect, the road was long and meandering for the two-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games bronze medalist before he scaled the summit of success.
“When I competed in my first virtual tournament last April, I found that there were a series of virtual tournaments and a world rankings system organized by SportData,” shared De los Santos.
“When I hit the no. 2 spot back in August 6, I was behind by nearly 3000 points to no.1. I thought to myself, “Wow that’s a big gap. How am I ever going to reach that? I was discouraged at first, but my kata coach Masa Saito, reminded me to take it one tournament at a time,” he added. True enough, De los Santos won one tournament after another. Since topping the Balkan Open last July 25, the outstanding PAREFSpringdale alumnus piled up 14 gold medals in a row. Overall, he now has 16 golds, two silvers and three bronzes in 20 virtual tilts he joined.
De los Santos’ Japanese coach Masa Saito is overjoyed with what his prized ward has attained.
“I’m really glad. We proved nothing is impossible. The path so far isn’t always easy. But we never give up and we climbed up to the top. I am so happy that I’m sharing this moment with this amazing karateka James (De los Santos). I’m grateful for the support we had from our family and friends. I’m so lucky to coach such a talented player,” stated Sato.
De los Santos may be on top of the world right now but he doesn’t want to just sit on his laurels. The fighting pride of International Shotokan Karate Federation of the Philippines still braces himself for a tougher task ahead of staying on top of the totem pole.
“The journey isn’t over. My new goal is to maintain the no. 1 spot throughout the year. This is a much bigger challenge, as there will be other eKata players who want the no. 1 spot as well. But this will keep me grinding and motivated,” said De los Santos. “Big thank you to those who supported me. Mabuhay, mga atletang Pinoy makapunyagi.”