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By Emil C. Noguera, Correspondent
SEASONED judoka John Baylon is undeniably the
region’s top athlete as he continued to conquer the Southeast
Asian Games.The 43-year-old Baylon, who had the honor of carrying
the Philippine flag during the opening ceremony at the His Majesty
the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Main Stadium, won his eighth
straight gold medal following an impressive victory over Indonesian
Johanes Taslim in the finals of the –81- kg half-middleweight
division.
Through aggressive style and techniques, the
Filipino bet forced the Indon into submission with one minute and 75
seconds left.
“Hindi ko maipaliwanag ang nararamdam ko
’nung nanalo ako dahil parang kasing-tamis ito ’nung napanalunan
ko yung first gold medal ko [I can’t explain how I felt when I
won, it’s as sweet as my first gold medal],” said
Baylon, who captured his first gold in the 1993
Singapore Games.
“Nagbunga ang lahat ng pagsisikap ko at gusto
ko pang ipagpatuloy ang labang ito hangga’t kaya ko [All my
hardwork paid off and I want to continue fighting as long as I
can],” added the native of Zamboanga City.
Baylon will resume his training as early as
January in preparation for the Asian Judo Championships—the final
Olympic qualifying tournament slated in May.
“Balik agad ako sa training para hindi mawala
sa porma. Paghahandaan namin next year ’yung qualifying tournament
sa Beijing Olympics [I have to get back to training to keep my
fitness. We have to prepare for the Beijing Olympics qualifying
tournament next year],” said Baylon, a veteran of 1992 Barcelona
Olympics.
The RP judo team finished sixth overall in
Thailand with its one gold, two silvers and six bronzes.
“The association has full confidence in Baylon,”
said Dave Carter, the president of the Philippine Amateur Judo
Association.
“Dahil na rin sa kanyang tagumpay na makamit
ang ikawalong sunod na gintong medalya, walang duda na siya ang
pinakamahusay na judoka hindi lamang sa Pilipinas maging sa buong
Southeast Asia [Because of Baylon’s triumph in winning his eighth
gold medal, there’s no doubt he’s the best judoka not only in
the Philippines but also in Southeast Asia],” added Carter.
The two silver medalists were Nancy Quillotes in
the women’s -48kg and Tomohiko Hoshina in the men’s +100kg)
while bronze medal winners were Helen Dawa in the women’s -52kg,
Estie Gay Liwanen in the women’s -57 kg, Karen Solomon in the
women’s -70kg, Ruth Dugaduga in the women’s -78kg, Jayson
Senales in the men’s -90kg and Erika Ponciano in the women’s
+78kg.
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