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By Krista Angela M. Montealegre, Reporter
WITH barely five weeks left before the Beijing
Olympics, national athletes Harry Tañamor, Sheila Mae Perez and
Ryan Rexel Fabriga are slowly but surely making themselves ready for
their quest for the Philippines’ first gold medal.
Tañamor, who needs to win five matches to
secure the gold medal, said he is ready to fight for the country’s
pride and slug it out against the world’s best athletes in the
biggest sports show on earth.
“Lalaban ako…para makuha ang ginto,” said
the light flyweight southpaw from Zamboanga City. “Gagawin ko
lahat ng makakaya ko. Ibubuhos ko ang lahat.”
National coach Pat Gaspi said that with Tañamor
as the country’s lone qualifier in the quadrennial meet, the
Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) is able to
focus all its resources on him to ensure his continuous improvement
in time for the Olympics.
“Lahat ng kailangan pa idagdag sa kanya,
‘yun ang pinagtutuunan namin ng pansin,” Gaspi said, adding that
they are constantly developing his defense, punches and footwork.
Last week, Tanamor and his group failed to
secure a visa, thus preventing him from competing in the Chemistry
Cup slated June 18 to 22 in Halle, Germany. Gaspi considered this a
major setback, since it was supposedly Tanamor’s last foreign
competition before going to Beijing.
Gaspi, however, revealed that ABAP President
Manny Lopez is coordinating with boxing officials from other
countries to arrange sparring sessions with foreign boxers. “If
Mr. Lopez is successful with his talks, Tanamor can fly to Korea or
Mongolia.”
In the meantime, Tanamor will tour the country
to look for sparring partners and attend two tournaments in Baguio.
Cuban Juan Enrique Steyners Tissert, one of two
foreign coaches hired by ABAP to handle the training of the national
team, expressed confidence that with the kind of training Tanamor
has undergone, the Filipino has a big chance to win a medal.
Tissert added that under his program, Tañamor
became faster and he gained more power in his punches.
Meanwhile, Perez and Fabriga claimed they are
continuously improving. The two Davao natives are going back to
China to cap a seven-month preparation program.
Anne Dimanche, chairman of the diving technical
committee, said the two were supposed to be in the city of Shanxi
for training, but they had to be sent home in February after a
strong earthquake struck China and destroyed parts of their training
venue.
Perez and Fabriga said their practice in China
can make all the difference since they can focus on their training
while in the Philippines, their studies get in the way of their
training.
When asked about their medal chances, Perez
replied, “Pagdating naman sa finals, it’s anybody’s game, kasi
pagandahan na ng talon dun and who knows, any of us or both, might
yet salvage a medal for each.”
The divers, who participated in the
International Swimming Federation or FINA Diving World Cup and the
Diving Grand Prix in Shenzhen, will leave for China on June 26 and
train there for one month. They will go home before proceeding to
the Olympics.
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