Josie Gabuco wins boxing gold; Joyette Jopson rules tough marathon

Joyette Jopson crosses the finish line.

A pair of Filipino women provided a moment of triumph for the country in sports across the globe.

In Bangkok, 32-year-old Josie Gabuco shrugged off suggestions she is way past her prime as she took the gold medal in the light flyweight division of the Asian Boxing Championships which culminated on Friday at Indoor Stadium of Hua Mark Sports Complex.

Far up north, Joyette Jopson conquered the odds and terrible conditions to rule the 42-kilometer FWD 78° North Marathon recently at Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway.

Gabuco, a single mother and a member of the national boxing team for 15 years, defeated Kim Hyang Mi of North Korea in the final with a performance that drew praises from coaching consultant Don Abnett of Australia.

Josie Gabuco

“She’s a talented girl with a lot of heart and has the ability to confuse the enemy. In the finals match, she made the North Korean lass miss so many punches and delivered her own ones and twos to seal the deal,” Abnett said.

Jopson, a triathlete who works as a financial wealth officer at FWD, became the first Filipino woman to rule the snowy race with a time of 4:10:59