Black eye no more for Jamie Lim in Cambodia.
Exposure helps. International training helps. Fresh ideas help.
Nothing could be true for the Philippine karate team, which picked up two gold medals, six silvers, and a bronze in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia. It was a welcome development after the Filipino karatekas were completely shut out of the finals in the 2021 edition in Vietnam, where they only hauled eight bronze medals.
For two-time SEA Games gold medalist Jamie Lim, the team's three-week training in Turkey was the most important part.
"It meant everything to me," she told One Sports' The Game on Thursday night. "This time, bago yung coach. We had a fresh start."
Following the results of the 2021 SEA Games, Karate Pilipinas Sports Federation Inc. tapped Levent Aydemir, a former Olympic coach for Turkey.
"He helped me so much, grabe 'yung focus niya on each and everyone," Lim recounted.
And she needed that focus. She was only running and working out in the gym alone while studying business analytics in the Imperial College London.
And it seemed destiny laid out the test when the draw came for the women's -61 kg kumite, and Lim immediately faced Vietnam's Thi Ngoan Nguyen—the 2021 SEA Games gold medalist.
"The first match was against the one who beat me in Vietam," Lim moaned. "Bakit naman 'yung previous champ agad?"
"I stayed strong, I focused. Sabi ng teammates ko, siya naman 'yung pinaghandaan ko," Lim recalled. "I just sticked to the plan and believed in my training and did everything possible."
Lim handily won the fight, 5-0. Her semifinals opponent was even tougher—Siti Nur Azwani Nor Azli of Malaysia, the gold medalist of this year's SEA Karate Federation Championships.
"Grabe talaga 'yung arrangement!" Lim recalled.
The Filipina though outscored the regional champion, 6-3, en route to facing Cambodia's bet Vann Chakriya in the finals.
The emotions came pouring out when Lim was declared the gold medalist.
She got the gold and the glow-up.
Not bad for a birthday gift.
And Lim couldn't have done it without her supportive mother, Darlene Berberabe, who was quite the cheerleader in Cambodia.
"She's trying to be as composed as she can. But on the inside, kabadong kabado rin siya but she can't show me that, 'di puwede dagdagan 'yung kaba ko. So she's been doing a lot to help things in small and big things," Lim recalled. "Kaya nakaya, because of her."
Her year in London would be ending soon. And Jamie Lim is looking forward to another big competition—the Asian Games.
(CF)