The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Philippine karate team, led by reigning champions Jamie Lim and Junna Villanueva Tsukii, is aiming to surpass its two-gold, one-silver and nine-bronze medal output in 2019 when it competes in the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) on May 12 to 23 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
According to Philippine Karate Sports Federation Inc. president Richard Lim, in addition to Lim and Tsukii who won the gold in 2019, three Filipino-Japanese teenagers based in Japan are being groomed by the association to be included in the national team.
“Junna and three other fellow Japan-based Filipino-Japanese are currently training in Osaka and Tokyo. They’re coming to Manila this month to join the team in bubble training camp in Baguio,” said Lim.
“We’re still evaluating the final composition of the team. The 15-man lineup, seven women and eight men, has been approved by the SEAG Federation. But we still have five slots in Team B as part of the ‘have money, will travel’ approved by the POC. We still have until March 30 for the final submission of entries,” Lim said.
Lim said part of the selection process is the athlete’s performance in past tournaments as well as the outcome of the team’s campaign and training camp in Turkey one month before the SEA Games.
“Before the Vietnam SEAG, we’re planning to join the Turkey camp and tournament. It’s just sad and the PSC’s budget now for the SEA Games is limited, but we’re looking for sponsorship from the private sector. This training camp is a big thing,” said the karate chief.
Lim and Tsukii both won silver medals in the Asian Karate Championship last December in Kazakhstan.
The daughter of basketball legend Samboy Lim, meanwhile, stressed that it is very important for the athlete and the team as a whole to be able to train and participate in the international tournaments.
“Excited, grabe ‘yung experience namin after the 2019 SEA Games. Very important para sa amin. But right now, focus kami at todo ang ensayo namin dito sa bubble training sa Baguio. Mentally, prepared na kami and we’re hoping to play well in the SEAG,” said the 21-year-old cum laude UP graduate who currently ranks No. 27 in the world.
For Tsukii, her decision to leave the Japanese team is a blessing in disguise as her childhood dream to make it to the world stage finally came true with an invitation from the World Karate Federation to compete in the prestigious World Games in July.
“My dream is to play on the world stage, in the Olympics. It was a dream come true when I was invited by the International Karate Federation to join the World Games this coming July,” said Tsukii, a public school teacher in Tokyo and currently ranked No. 4 in her division.