The Philippine delegation bagged 19 gold, 19 silver, and seven bronze medals to earn the second spot in the overall award tally in the 9th Mombasa Open Tong-Il Moo-Do (TIMD) International Martial Arts Championship held from Dec. 11-22 in Mombasa, Kenya.
Jinnefer Berfulfo brought home six gold medals after dominating all six categories – the Gichoom, Individual Sparring Finweight, Individual Bon, Team Bon Women, Team Mixed Bon, and the Team Special Technique – she competed in.
Princess Minmi Ilustrisimo won the gold in the Individual Special Techniques and secured bronze medals in the women’s Sparring Flyweight and the Individual Bon. She was likewise part of the winning group in the Team Form Women, Team Special Techniques, and Team Mixed Form.
Other Filipino athletes who earned medals in the individual and group categories were:
- Mharjude Delos Santos, 2 golds, 3 silvers
- Cyrus Tumanda, 3 golds, 3 silvers
- Reymark Bais, 3 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze
- Jocelyn Pablo, 2 golds, 2 silvers
- Aldrige Urianza, 1 gold, 2 silvers, 1 bronze
- Vincent Laguerta, 1 gold, 4 silvers, 1 bronze
- Jayson Purificacion, 2 golds, 3 silvers
- Rhenel Desuyo, 2 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze
- Marissa Arbolario, 1 gold
TIMD is a comprehensive unified martial art discipline from South Korea founded in 1979 by Grandmaster Dr. Joon Ho Seuk. The 9th TIMD was participated in by 16 countries, including, among others, USA, Japan, Thailand, Zambia, Turkey, and Iran, with host country Kenya as the overall champion.
Philippine Embassy Chargé d’affaires ad interim Maria Rosanna Josue congratulated the Philippine team on their successful performance in the competition and commended them for bringing pride to the country.
“When you compete as athletes, you not only carry our flag, but you also get to promote sportsmanship and camaraderie across cultures, and forge connections with other people as you transcend differences in opinion, language, and beliefs,” Josue said during the sendoff at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Dec. 23. (Philippine Embassy-Kenya) – jlo
