UP, Air Force jins rule Samsung tilt

Loraine Sugar Catalan proved superior than fellow UP bet Edhlie Arellano and kicked her way to the women’s flyweight crown via an easy 9-1 victory while another UP stalwart Rommel Espiritu nipped Michael Angelo Realista, 3-2, to bag the men’s bantam plum in the Samsung Best of the Best National Taekwondo Championships at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City Thursday.

The 20-year-old Catalan, a gold medalist in the 2003 World Hwarang TKD Championship and silver medal winner in this year’s UAAP and CPJ TKD Championships, dominated Arellano throughout their match in the 47-51 kg division, while Espiritu, bronze medal winner here last year and a silver medalist in the UAAP, outduelled Realista in a thrilling match to rule the 58-62 kg division.

The Air Forcemen matched UP’s two gold-medal romp in the tournament put up by Samsung and sanctioned by the Philippine Taekwondo Association as Christopher Clemente and Alexander Briones pulled off victories in varying fashion over their fellow AFP rivals in men’s play.

The 26-year-old Clemente, a three-time gold medal winner in the AFP Olympics, fought Dennis Simpao to a 2-2 tie in their middle/heavy clash but delivered the hit that mattered most to prevail in sudden death, while Briones, 19, and gold medal winner in this year’s UAAP, hardly worked out a sweat in disposing of Israel Bermudez, 8-0, for the welterweight crown.

Also winning their finals matches in the centerpiece seniors division were FEU’s Jan Joseph Hernandez, Angelito Ong of Phil. Army, Jose Emmanuel Enriquez of San Beda, Nino Banatao of Rizal Province, Esther Marie Singson of UST, Elaine Alora of Laguna, Eunice Alora of La Salle, and Margie Bonifacio of Ateneo.

Hernandez edged Carlo Manalo of CSA, 1-0, to bag the featherweight crown; Ong beat Laguna’s Terrence Boteja, 9-7, for the finweight plum; Enriquez nipped Reymar Aringo of Laguna, 5-4, to claim the flyweight title; Banatao whipped R3 Strikers’ Anthony Manliclic, 5-2, for the lightweight crown.

In women’s play, Singson outfoxed fellow UST bet Mary Diorlyn Papelera, 5-4, to win the bantam title; Elaine Alora routed St. Scholastica’s Heraldine Quesada, 4-0, for the featherweight crown; Eunice Alora dominated Nueva Ecija’s Gerika Larize Romero, 9-1, to claim the finweight title; and Bonifacio ruled the middle/heavy division with a 5-4 victory over La Salle’s Criselda Roxas.

All winners, runners-up and third placers in each division of the event organized by IMG received gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively, plus gift packs from Alaska and Bacchus. Other backers of the tournament, which ends tomorrow with the finals in juniors and grade school divisions, are IBC-13, Accel, Colours, The STAR, Ayala Center and Solar Sports.

Meanwhile, hostilities in the juniors division kicked off yesterday with finweights Krishia Tagala of Antique and Ma. Abigail Rustria of CSA; flyweights Roshell Lavalan of UE, Cathy Jane Hampac of Zamboanga, Kristine Hilajos of RPTC, Thony Rose Parado of Bulacan, Kristine Manapsal of AIDA and Melessa Ypil of Danao; featherweights Kimberly Menchavez and Karra Kamoneda of Danao leading the early winners in women’s play.

In men’s action, finweights Paolo Angeles of Don Bosco-Makati, Jeffrey Ursua of Cotabato and Michael Vargas of Rizal HS; flyweight Vishnu Catarig of Muntinlupa and Jason Sinoy of General Santos; featherweights Bon Jovi Figueras of Ilocos Norte and Andy Perigueros of NTU Tigers hurdled their respective first round assignments.