Muay thai artists Rhichein Yosorez and Kylie Mallari snared the country’s second gold medal in the 2023 World Combat Games (WCG)—in a finale both never thought they would be a part of.
Yosorez and Mallari clashed head on with their male peers Ariel Lampacan and Philip Delarmino in the mixed Mai Muay (forms) event in the biggest global arena for combat sports in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“We never thought we could meet them. We just found out shortly before our performance in the finals,’’ said Yosorez, a consistent gold medal bet in international meets, both on the continental and world stages.
The tandem tallied 9.20 points, handily defeating Lampacan and Delarmino’s 9.03 points for a gold-silver finish for the Filipinos at King Saud University Arena.
That allowed Team Philippines to finish 20th overall among 80 countries with two golds, four silvers and four bronze medals in the event that ended on Monday, with several events still to be played.
“Perhaps it’s our dedication and courage that really helped us accomplish the goal. We were focused throughout the entire tournament and trusted each other,’’ said Yosorez, the pride of General Santos City and a sophomore sports science major at Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
First gold
Yosorez and Mallari made it to the golden match after toppling Malaysia’s Binti Roslan and Derora Dane Daniel in the semifinal while the Delarmino-Lampacan duo tripped Iraq’s Ali Kinanah and Hussein Al-Zubaidi in the other final four pairing.
“I was really surprised to meet our men’s team in the final, but that’s how it is. They mixed us with the men’s after the elimination round,’’ said Mallari, a second year nursing major at La Consolacion College.Jiujitsu’s Kaila Napolis pocketed the first-ever gold medal for the country in just the third edition of the 16-sport WCG that began in 2010 in Beijing followed by another version in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2013.
The tournament was shelved for a decade before its revival this year.
Wushu’s Agatha Wong and Clemente Tabugara Jr. collared a silver each while Jones Inso and Thornton Quieney Sayan claimed a pair of bronze medals. Wrestlers Fierre Afan and Maria Aisa Ratcliff took the other two bronze medals.
Islay Erika Bomogao dropped her gold-medal bid against Malaysia’s Jia Chi Yan, 9.36-9.50, and took the silver in the female wai kru event of muay thai. INQ