Phillip Delarmino wins gold in the muay 57kg division in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
Philip Delarmino has been longing to tick off an item in his bucket list: The 2022 World Games.
The country’s premier muay fighter worked courageously hard on making that dream a reality after striking gold in the just-concluded International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) World Muaythai Championships in Phuket, Thailand.
Delarmino asserted himself in all three rounds in the finale, dominating Aleksandr Abramov of Russia to earn the nod from the judges, 30-27, and rule the men’s elite 57 kilogram category.
The 31-year-old from Iloilo City finally won the title that eluded him for a long time following a forgettable fifth-place output in the 2019 world championships in Bangkok, Thailand, and a bronze-medal finish in 2018 in Cancun, Mexico.
More importantly, the victory booked him a ticket to the biggest tournament of his sport.
“I’m excited to compete in the World Games. I’m sure the toughest fighters in the world will be there,’’ said Delarmino in Filipino.
Abramov, also the silver medalist in the 2019 world championships, will join Delarmino in the World Games on July 7 to 17 next year in Birmingham, Alabama.
Delarmino will meet the same set of opponents he hurdled in the world champs during the quadrennial World Games.
Only the finalists were able to book spots in the World Games, a global multisport event held every four years that comprises sports and disciplines not contested in the Olympic Games.
Cue master Carlo Biado became the first Filipino gold medalist in the World Games when he captured the men’s 9-ball singles event in the 2017 edition held in Wroclaw, Poland.
Team Philippines has participated in the World Games since 1981 and, apart from Biado’s gold, has brought home five silver and five bronze medals aside.
“I hope to also bring a medal from the World Games,’’ said Delarmino, now considered as the fighter to beat in his division after topping the world stage and claiming the Asian featherweight crown of the World Muay Thai Council early this year in Dubai.
On his way to the finals, Delarmino, the current Southeast Asian (SEA) Games champion in his weight class, stopped Laishram Bidyachandra Singh of India, defeated Sweden’s Javad Vahid Rezah in the quarterfinals and Kazakhstan’s Almaz Sarsembekov in the semifinals.
Team Bagsik’s Islay Erika Bomogao and Rudzma Abubakar likewise climbed onto the medal podium with a pair of bronzes in their respective age groups.
Bomogao, a silver medalist in 2019 SEA Games held in Subic Bay, lost to Russia’s Bella Durandina in the semifinals of the under-23 female elite 45kg while Abubakar dropped her semifinal clash against Thailand’s Thanawan Thongduang in the under-23 female elite 48kg.
The Muaythai Association of the Philippines also received the prestigious Federation of the Year award from the IFMA for the group’s continuous programs for their athletes despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Ariel Lee Lampacan, the 2018 world champion and 2019 SEA Games gold medalist, was shown the door unexpectedly early in the men’s 54kg after Sweden’s Giang Hoang pulled off a 30-27 triumph in the first round.
Ryan Jakiri, another SEA Games silver medalist, also bowed out of contention in the men’s 63.5kg after dropping his round 2 match against Italy’s Lorenzo Rossetti. INQ