Karate One-Youth League… BERCO BEST PINOY BET BUT WASN’T GOOD ENOUGH

DESPITE losing his initial match, Eduardo Berco III showed his resilience in bouncing back and fell one step short of a podium finish in the junior male kumite -61kg division of the Karate One-Youth League presented by the Philippine Sports Commission at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City yesterday.

Berco took a 1-7 beating in the first round at the hands of Ukraine's Maksym Viechikanov, who went all the way to reach the finals of the weight class, relegating the Pinoy karateka to the repechage round.

The Pinoy bet from General Santos City tried his best in giving the country its first medal in the tournament supported by the SM Group of Companies and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Needing three wins to secure a bronze medal in the repechage, he outclassed Scotland's Logan Morrison 7-1 in the first match then subdued Mwtt Witharana 3-1 in the second but, seemingly spent, fell 1-5 to Macau's Hang Lao Cheok.

Still the General Santos native was the best hometown bet's performance in winding up in seventh place in his weight class of the competition also backed by Lanson's Place, Citadines Bay City Manila and Milo.

Also exiting earlier was Rei Alec Servan, who dropped a heartbreaking 1-2 decision to of Australia Lucy Choi-Lawrence in the junior female -53-kilogram quarterfinals of the tournament sanctioned by the World Karate Fedration and organized by the Karate Pilipinas Sports Federation, Inc.

With the score deadlocked at 1-all in the waning seconds of the two-minute bout, the Aussie snuck in a blow to the face of the Filipina karateka to seal the deal and enter the semifinals.

Also failing to go beyond the quarterfinals of their respective weight classes was Zian Alexander Sing in the the junior male kumite -61kg division and Kevin Llup in in junior male kumite -55kg division.

Drawing an opening-round bye, Sing overwhelmed Brunei's Awanku Ahmad Izz Aiman 5-0, capping his dominant play with a clear kick to the head at the end of the two-minutes that was worth three points in the second round.

A gold medalist in last year's 4th Shureido International Karate Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sing, however, failed to advance after absorbing a 1-3 defeat to Ukraine's Sukrob Sadullayev in the semis.

In an all-Filipino clash, Llup showed more aggression and narrowly won by referee's decison over Bernardo Fresco after both fought to a scoreless standoff in the the second round.

But Llup more than found his match in the quarterfinals to Saudi Arabian Abdulrahman Arafat, who fashioned a convincing 14-4 rout to enter the semifinals.

Rei Alec Servan (left) hits Australia's Lucy Choi-Lawrence in quarterfinal action of the junior female -53-kilogram of Karate One-Youth League yesterday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Alexander Zian Sing (left)connects with a kick to the face Brunei's Awanku Ahmad Aiman in the junior male kumite -61kg division quartefinals of the Karate One-Youth League yesterday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.