Orencio James de los Santos is quite sure he has improved more as a karateka in the span of five months compared to his 11 years with the national team.
The 30-year-old De los Santos, currently World No. 2 in e-karate rankings, said the entire quarantine experience did him a lot of good, including moving on from a painful past.
“Honestly speaking, despite the situation we’re all in, this has been a blessing,” De los Santos told the Inquirer right after booking a spot in the finals of the E-Champions Trophy World Series on Saturday.
He’s gunning for his sixth gold medal in the online series, and will go up against Moreno Domont Matias of Switzerland in the meet’s e-kata individual male seniors category.
Regardless of the outcome, he is expected to improve further in the rankings where he trails Portugal’s Eduardo Garcia, who currently tallies 7,075 points. The Filipino now has 3,870.
Long road
“It’s still a long road, but I’m getting there,” De los Santos added.
“This is what I’ve always wanted to have,” he said. “Proper training and competitions. In a span of five months, I’ve competed in a lot more international tournaments with players all over the world than in my 11 years in the national team.”
Last year, De los Santos ranted about being left off the national team for the Southeast Asian Games, claiming he was “robbed” of a spot despite his credentials.
“Well that door closed. Another one opened this year,” he said. “According to my coaches in Japan, they have seen my performance improving every time I compete. You can’t become stronger by just practicing. Competition is the key.”
Even if it is e-competition.