Malalad bags gold in Busan
Thursday, November 16th, 2006Manila Bulletin
J-2 SPORTS
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
KARATEKA GRETCHEN Malalad stamped her class in the 2nd Korean Grand Open Championship over the weekend in Busan and took home the gold medal to fortify her medal campaign in the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar next month.
Still recuperating from a right knee injury she sustained during training, the 26-year-old Malalad made use of her sharp techniques to beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Nga, 7-2, for the gold in the +65 kgs individual kumite.
The three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and Busan Asian Games bronze winner first blanked a Korean competitor in the semifinals, 6-0, to advance to the championship round.
National team coach David Lay expressed his optimism that Malalad can improve her Busan Asian Games performance with the kind of determination and fighting spirit she showed in her first international exposure after the 2005 SEA Games.
Kristel Satumbaga
