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| Sydney Tancontian is eyeing gold in South Korea. |
MANILA--Sydney Tancontian looks to bag another gold medal in the 2024 Korea Open Sambo Championships this coming weekend with selected members of the Philippine Sambo national team at the Korea Sambo Center in Cheon-An, South Korea.
The national squad aims to surpass the three gold medals obtained last year in a clash with talented Asian samboists in the two-day sporting event that also includes last year's titlist Aumaegel Princess Cortez, 2024 World Beach bronze medalist Jeniva Consigna, 2024 Asian Championships double silver medalists Aislinn Yap, 2023 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Robin Catalan, mixed martial artists Jomary Torres and Edemel Catalan and University of Santo Tomas student-athletes Mariah Albert Lua and Grace Ann Gangan.
Tancontian also came from a successful first race at the 2024 World Beach Championships in Casablanca, Morocco this September in the women's +72kgs category, while Consigna will compete for the first time in the indoor games in the women's under-65kgs after debuting in the Morocco meet.
"This will be another great exposure for our athletes who will try again to put our country's flag in international competition. We had a huge success last year having three gold medals, and this year we'll try to put in another good number of delegations," said Pilipinas Sambo Federation Inc. president Paolo Tancontian.
"They prepared so much for this competition and after this, we will compete for another crack for a World title in the World Championships next month in Kazakhstan," added Tancontian, who appointed coaches Gerard Arce and Jerry Legaspi as heads of delegations.
Tancontian, a six-time world Sambo medalist who also stands as chairperson of the International Sambo Federation Athletes Commission, will compete again in the favorite +80kgs division.
Cortez will return to the women's under-59kgs, while Consigna will stretch to the women's under-65kgs, while UST Lady Judokas members Lua and Gangan will make their Sambo debut in the women's under-72kgs and women's under-80kgs category, respectively.
National champion and Paris Open titlist Yap will compete in the women's combat under 80kgs, as well as Torres in the women's combat under 54kgs, while Edemel Catalan and Robin Catalan will show their style in the men's combat under 58kgs in the men's under-64kgs.
"We are very thankful to the Philippine Sports Commission for allowing us to compete on a higher stage. Our national athletes will continue to give their very best in every international and local competition to bring honor and pride to our country," said Tancontian.
Considered the best federation in Southeast Asia, the national sambo squad is scheduled to hold two major international tournaments, the first BBM Cup in March 2025 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena Music Hall and the 2025 World Beach Sambo Championships on the pristine island of Boracay in September next year.
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