Iran-trained karatekas go for the gold

MYANMAR – The karate association hopes to land a gold from any of its three lady karatekas who trained for two months in Iran, while its men karatekas are gunning for a medal in team competition in the Southeast Asian Games karatedo competitions which get under way Thursday.

Princess Divine Sicangco is shooting for the gold in the kumite 61 kg on the strength of her gold medal finish in the Tehran Championships held early this year in Tehran, Iran.

Veteran Mae Soriano vows to improve on her bronze medal finish in the 55 kg kumite, while relative newcomer Jonah Mae Ylanan hopes to be on the medal podium in the 68 kg kumite.

The men’s team will be vying only in the team competitions, hoping to gain victories from Ramon Antonio Franco, Jayson Ramil Macaalay and Rexor Romaquin while looking for surprise performances from Michael Badil and Engene Stoner Dagahay.

Ogie delos Santos is a last minute entry in the individual kata.

“This team has made a lot of improvement since they trained in Iran for over two months (October to November),” said Iranian coach Ali Parvinfar.

“For one, they lacked sparring with stronger athletes because they were training only among themselves. Their Iran training gave them a perspective of what they can do as they competed against world and Olympic champions from Iran,” he added.

Power struggle within the karatedo association brought about a fast turnover of leadership – quite odd for a national sports association where one holds on to the presidency for an average of 20 years.

The recent leadership crisis which involved the legitimacy of elections of two candidates for president reached the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

The problem subsided when one party conceded before the Philippine Olympic Committee elections this year but the karatedo program hardly went off the launching pad.

A weak grassroots program resulted in a depleted national pool from which the national athletes are chosen and trained.

Despite the lack of preparations for the SEA Games, Parvinfar believes his wards have the fighting spirit and skills to break into the medal podium of the sport.

“I don’t promise (a medal), but these karatekas will do their best, and if they do, they will win the gold,” said the Irananian coach who mentored the national team of Kuwait before his stint this year in the Philippines.

“The team is ready, and I think it’s the best prepared team because they trained in Iran, which boasts of the best and second best in the Olympics,” said Filipino coach and former karate champion David Lay.