Brent-Subic wrestler bags gold in Far East tournament

SUBIC BAY — Zolboo Enkhbayar of Brent International School-Subic came out unscathed and trounced Will Appling of Kubasaki High School in Japan, 10-0, in the final of the 135-lb weight class to bag the gold medal in the Far East Wrestling tournament in Okinawa, Japan recently.

The victory capped Enkhbayar’s amazing feat in the tournament where he didn’t have a single point scored against him on his way to the final round, enabling the son of a former Olympian to bag the Outstanding Wrestler honors.

"Zolboo is a natural athlete," said Rob Fisher, coach of the Brent Subic team, and a former wrestler himself for the US Naval Academy. "And he‘s still young. For sure, he’s only going to get better."

The tournament, held at Kubasaki High School in Okinawa Feb. 12-13, brought together more than 100 high school wrestlers from around Asia. Brent Subic sent only two wrestlers but still managed to finish sixth overall among 13 teams which saw action in the tournament.

Enkhbayar, whose father is a former Olympic bronze medalist in the sport, dominated his opponents in his division. In the quarterfinals, he pinned Antoine Smith of Kadena High School in 48 seconds, then defeated Brad Candland of the American School in Japan, with an 11-0 decision.

In the 148-pound weight class, Brent Subic’s Scott Perry defeated Joel Smith of Nile C. Kinnick High School, 4-3, in the quarterfinals, beat Dennis Keslar of Yokota High School, 14-0, in the semis but lost to David Zielinski of the American School in Japan, 1-4, and settled for silver medal.

Last year at the same tournament, the Brent Subic wrestling team placed seventh in a field of 20 and brought home two gold medals. The outstanding performance was a shock to many because the school’s contingent at the tourney was small – only four wrestlers – and the wrestling program had only begun a year before.

In January, the school launched the First Annual Brent Subic Invitational Wrestling Tournament. That contest brought some of the Philippines’ top wrestlers to Subic Bay and put a spotlight on the school’s continuing efforts to foster not only academic excellence but athletic skill as well in Central Luzon.

"The tournament built team morale by letting our wrestlers perform in front of their classmates," said Fisher. "It also supports wrestling in this area and raises the profile of the sport in the Philippines."