December 15, 2006 

By REY BANCOD

Ma. Marna Pabillore, part of the seven-man team that trained and competed in Europe for 10 weeks, broke new ground when she won the country’s first silver medal in the quadrennial event.

Pabillore, a 26-year-old blackbelter from Cagayan de Oro, won three bouts to reach the final against reigning world champion Tomoko Araga of Japan.

Although outclassed, 1-9, by the Japanese, Pabillore was in superb form against other opponents.

She crushed North Korea’s Ha Ryon Rok, 7-1; routed Kazakhstan’s Venera Zhetibay, 3-1; and disposed of Chinese-Taipei’s Lim Lee Lee, 3-1.

"Pabillore is world-class material," said Italian coach Romano Guiseppe, a former World Cup champion. "Give her a few more years, she will beat the Japanese."

Guiseppe said Pabillore is as good as anyone, but has developed fear of the Japanese.

"She (Pabillore) always thinks of the Japanese. She’s better than the Japanese. She doesn’t know that," said Guiseppe.

Guiseppe said the Philippines can win at least two gold medals in the Asian Games four years from now.

He mentioned Mae Soriano and Gretchen Malalad, if healthy, as potential world beaters.

Soriano, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals, had her period before her first bout and made extra effort to make the weight limit.

"It’s a pity. The same thing happened during the Southeast Asian Games in Manila," said the 24-year-old housewife.

Soriano won her first bout comfortably, beating Ana Maria Paula Pinto of Timor Leste, 9-1. But she lost consecutively to Vietnamese Vu Thi Nguyet Anh, 1-2; and Jittikan Tiemsurakan, 1-3.

Malalad, on the other hand, was hampered by a right knee injury a few weeks before the Games.

The 26-year-old Southeast Asian Games champion fought as hard as she could against Macau’s Carion Paula Pereira, but the handicap took its toll.

"I couldn’t even move my legs, much more raise it," said Malalad who nevertheless scored the first two points of the bout.

But once she figured out Malalad's problem, Pereira became aggressive and pulled off a narrow 7-5 verdict.

The country’s bronze medal came in kata a non-combat discipline.

Noel Espinosa, campaigning in the 70-kilogram class, showed poise and the right tension in beating Palestine’s Diaaldeen Al Karay, 5-0, in the battle for the bronze medal.

Espinosa, who trained for two months in Osaka, Japan, won his first assignment at the expense of Korean Lee Chi Kit, 4-1.

A loss to eventual winner Tetsuya Furukawa of Japan, 0-5, relegated Espinosa to the repechage events where he defeated Thai Inthanousone Vilaysouk, 5-0, for a place to the medal bout.

Philippine Karate Federation president Eduardo Ponce said a revamp in the composition of the men’s team is in the offing following the expected retirement of some of its veterans.

Nelson Pacalso, fighting in the 65-kilogram, split his outings.

The 36-year-old Baguio blackbelter demolished Mohammed Abobaker of Yemen, 8-0; but bowed to Lim Yoke Wai of Malaysia, 1-7.

Bernardino Chu, 28, of Cagayan de Oro lost his bout to Abdullah Dalloul of Qatar, 0-6, while Irineo Toribio was beaten by Ihtiyor Sharapov of Uzbekistan, 0-1.

Junel Perania, a 34year-old police officer, bowed to Abdullah Al Otaibi of Kuwait, 0-8, and Ali Younes of Lebanon, 5-7.