Final 2-gold, 2-silver romp by karatekas

NATIONAL team standout OJ delos Santos displayed fine form to capture the men’s kata gold at the close of the second ISKF World Shot Cup Karate Championship Sunday night at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City.

Egged on by the hometown crowd, Delos Santos executed his difficult “hands-in-the-clouds” routine with superb precision to earn the nod of the judges, who gave him 42.3 points.

The scintillating effort boosted the 22-year-old La Salle marketing student past two Filipino-Americans, Michael Cornel and Jumbo Banaria, who posted the same 42 points.

Cornel took the silver owing to his higher average over Banaria.

Delos Santos’ triumph capped a big final-day push for the hosts, who also took a gold in the men’s senior team kata and two silvers in the men’s senior kata and team kumite.

ISKF-Philippines president Benjamin Villamayor, Barry Orenciana and Roehl Parungao, all in their late 40s or early 50s, bested the US squad for the gold in the men’s senior kata.

The silver came courtesy of Parungao, who finished second to American Paul McKeena, also the kumite titlist.

Filipinos also ruled the junior action last Saturday with a harvest of 16 gold, 14 silver and eight silver medals.

“The staging of the 2nd ISKF World Shoto Cup here showed again the organizational savvy of Filipinos,” said Philippine Karatedo Federation president Joey Romasanta. Cedelf P. Tupas