DAVAO CITY —- Losing in the first round foiled her gold medal ambition.
But Sydney Sy Tancontian of Pilipinas Sambo made sure she won’t go home empty-handed as she snared the bronze medal in one of the world’s biggest sambo competitions.
The 20-year-old Dabawenya multi-athlete showed her grappling prowess against Spain’s Evadne Huecas to place third in the women’s +80kg junior division of the 2020 World Sambo Championships held in Novi Sad, Serbia on Sunday.
The win came on the heels of a heartbreaking loss to Kateryna Chovkhun of Ukraine in the first round.
“Mahirap talaga pag walang coach sa labas ng mats kasi yung coach yung may greater view sa positions ng players,” Paolo Tancontian, Sydney’s father, said.
The younger Tancontian had to fly to Serbia alone, bringing only a virtual backpack of fundamentals and knowledge from her rigid training.
She fought all her opponents with a huge handicap sans a coach to mentor her during her overseas campaign.
Paying the price for an empty corner, she lost the gold rush in the first round.
But by showing dominance in the succeeding match gave her the chance to replicate the accomplishment she carved a year ago in the same competition in Seoul, South Korea.
The home-bound ace judo athlete of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST), said her father, will focus on her duty as a Sambo Ambassadress once back in the country. Newsline.ph
