Just two months since he began grappling on the mat, Cadel Evance Hualda has already shown great potential in his sport.
The 17-year-old toppled heavier opponents and powered the Philippines to a silver finish, also made possible by three other junior wrestlers, in the just-concluded Taiwan International Wrestling Invitational.
Joining Hualda (80 kilograms) in the team event where they placed second overall among four countries and 12 teams were Allen Mitch Arcilla (51 kg), Anthony Arcilla Jr. (60 kg) and Joeffer Callado (71 kg).
The junior grapplers were forced to compete in higher weight classes for the organizers to accommodate them. Hualda was eight kilograms lighter in his weight category, Callado was 15 kg off while the Arcilla siblings—Allen and Anthony—were four and six kilos short in their weight limit.
“We’re happy to support the development of our junior wrestlers,” said Jeremy Go of Go For Gold, the team’s ardent supporter. “We hope that one day, one of these athletes can bring home an Olympic gold medal.”
All four junior wrestlers reached the finals where they lost to bigger rivals.
Hualda, son of former national wrestler Ednalyn Hualda, faced a 110-kg Taiwanese.
Coach Efrelyn Crosby said the tournament allowed them to gauge the competition from Japan and Singapore as well when the 16-man junior wrestling team attended a three-day training camp.
Coaches Melchor Tumasis, Cristina Vergara, Aaron Diao, Marisol Marifiel and Wilfredo Mendez also joined the Team PH.