Karate One-Youth League ... ELUSIVE MEDALS FOR PH'S BETS VARIAS AND CARUANA

THE medal remained elusive for the Pinoy bets yesterday as Ysabella Arwen Varias and Carl Caruana lost to their separate foes in the battle for bronze in the Karate One-Youth League presented by the Philippine Sports Commission at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Both reaching the repechage round, Arias, who upset WKF-1's Mariaa Sereda 1-0 in her first match, was gripped by jitters against Romania's Momanu Alexandra and fell 0-4 in the cadet kumite female -61-kilogram division in the match for bronze.

Small in size but with a big heart, Caruana absorbed a 1-9 beating to WKF-1's Levon Shaishian, who took the bronze medal in the junior kumite male +76 class of the tournament backed by the SM Group of Companies and Lanson's Place.

Still, they were the country's best performers after three days of hostilities in the meet sanctioned by the World Karate Federation, organized by the Karate Pilipinas Sports Federation, Inc. and also backed by the Philippine Olympic Committee.

"Nakakao-verwhelm po na makasali dito sa tournament kasi lahat ng kalaban magagaling," noted Varias, who needed four matches from the preliminaries before reaching the bronze medal play in the repechage.

"Medyo kinabahan po ako sa laban sa bronze at hindi ko nagawa yung dapat kong gawin katulad ng sa first match against the Russian laban sa Romanian," added the 15-year-old incoming Grade 10 Paco Catholic School Student.

"Ysabella could have used her nervousness in fighting against the Romanian but she was stiff and tentative. But this young girl learn from that experience and be better in the long run," Oliver Manalac, the karateka's coach, said.

He also disclosed that since her player also played in the kata (forms) "she might have been a bit stiff at the start of her fights since different muscles are being used for the two karate disciplines."

"Mataas talaga yung kalaban kaya mahirap tamaan. But I am proud that I was able to get here," Caruana, 17, whose parent raised funds so he could compete here, said with a lump in his throat.

"Kaya dini-dedicate ko itong laban ko dito sa mga magulang na nangutang para makarating ako dito sa Manila sa pamamagitan ng barko. I owe this achievement to them," he said.

Romania's Momanu Alexandra connects with a punch to the face of Ysabella Arwen Varias cadet kumite female -61-kilogram division match for bronze of the Karate One-Youth League at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.