Lim gears up for Paris qualifier, a key tournament for karate’s Olympic hopefuls

Jamie Lim —SHERWIN VARDELEON

Jamie Christine Lim is bent on showing up with the finest version of herself in a no-tomorrow karate Olympic qualifier nearly six months from now.

And there’s no doubt in Lim’s mind that the World Karate Federation Olympic Qualification Tournament in Paris, France, on July 11 to 13 will be one of the toughest tests of her career.

“It won’t be an easy competition because there is no room for error,’’ Lim, a Southeast Asian Games gold medalist in the female +61 kilograms kumite, told the Inquirer.

That’s the only chance Lim has been waiting for to secure an Olympic spot in the Tokyo Summer Games, which is scheduled just 10 days after the Paris qualifier.

“We need to win this only tournament to qualify for Tokyo [so I spent] the entire 2020 to train and condition myself to be the most prepared I can be for Paris,’’ said Lim, the daughter of PBA great Avelino “Samboy’’ Lim and former Pag-Ibig CEO lawyer Darlene Berberabe.

“So I’m just focusing on training and being in my best shape for that win,’’ added the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics summa cum laude from the Univeristy of the Philippines Diliman.

Lim and four other karatekas will enter the training bubble of the Philippine Sports Commission beginning Jan. 4, the first time these fighters will train face to face after nearly a year in quarantine due to the ongoing coronavirus health crisis.

“We all look forward to training again face to face. This bubble is something we’ve never done before so for sure it’ll take some adjustment. But we’ve been preparing for this for months and we’ll be ready,’’ Lim said.

According to Karate Pilipinas president Richard Lim, the top three finishers in each weight category during the Paris meet will snatch the coveted tickets to Tokyo. INQ