Two time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Jean Claude Saclag and Gina Iniong Araos led two other Filipinos including another Cordilleran in winning four gold medals in the Asian Kickboxing Championship 2022 earlier this month in Bangkok, Thailand.
Saclag and Iniong- Araos won gold medals in the 2019 and 2021 (2022) versions of the biennial meet where Abra native Renz Dacquel, who is also a boxer from the Highland Boxing Gym, won silver medals.
Saclag defeated local bet Chaleeamlap Santidongsakun, 3-0, to take the low kick -63.5 kilogram mint in the Bangkok Asia tilt.
Iniong-Araos, the ONE Championship fighter, meanwhile. swept Hsiao Hsin Chi of Chinese Taipeh to win the -60 kg. gold.
This time, Dacquel was not denied of the gold, when she scored a 3-0 win on another hometown bet, Nitinat Plabplerng in women’s low kick -48 kg.
Jovan Medallo, meanwhile provided the country’s first gold in the event when he ruled the senior men’s musical forms with weapons. The Cebuano scored 28.8 points to win the event with Chinese Taipeh’s Hsuan Wu Chi bringing home the silver with 27 points. Chiu Ta-Ting also of Chinese Taipeh settled for the bronze after a 25.7 point performance.
The country also took home a silver and six bronze medals.
Another Cordilleran, Karol Maguide took a silver, while fellow Cordillerans Jomar Balangui and Kurt Lubrica join Gretel Cordero De Paz, Ralph Chein Yosorez, Carlos Alvarez and Claudine Veloso brought home bronze medals.
The Philippines sent 14 athletes to the event which will serves as a qualifier for the world championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Pigeon Lobien
