Philippine Asian News Today Vol 19 No 5 | Page 28

28 SPORTS
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY March 1 - 15 , 2017

Zion Corrales-Nelson ( Burnaby ) - Basketball & Athletics

Zion is a remarkable and gifted student athlete and represented St . Thomas
Moore Collegiate at the highest scale during her years in high school . Her elite
performance and high calibre achievements were evident when she stepped on the court
as a point guard and on the starting blocks as a sprinter . She was a hardworking
student attaining yearly honours with distinction . She was an extraordinary athlete earning numerous awards in every basketball tournament she participated with the most recent at the BC High School Provincial Basketball Tournament ( March 2016 ) receiving the First Team All-Star and the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the tournament .
Zion is also an International Track and Filed Athlete and currently holds the National record in 400m for the Philippines ( Youth , Junior and Senior ). She was also the country`s Athlete of the year in 2015 .
She has medaled , if
not won , every race she has run as a St . Thomas Moore student . She made history during the 2016 BC High School Provincial Track and Field meet when she won in the 100m , 200m and 400m ( the first time in a 33 year history ) and received the Most Outstanding Athlete award .
STMC is proud of Zion as she exemplified the characteristics of a student athlete demonstrating the 3A`s
Academics , Athleticism and Attitude .
She is currently enrolled at UC Berkeley in United States .
QUEBEC City - Team British Columbia squad led by cousins John Sawal and Shalene Lee were relentless throughout the course of the tournament en route to capturing top honors in the recently-concluded 2017 National Karate Championships .
Sawal , reign supreme in his category after beating hometown boy Nicolas- Patrick Rivest in the finals of under-21 male individual kata

Three Pinoys shine in national karate meet

event .
The eldest among the brood of two , Sawal won all his matches in the three-day national meet from February 24-26 to reach the winnertake-all tussle and eventually took the gold medal at the expense of Rivest .
Sawal ’ s hard work and dedication finally paid dividends on him after a strings of runner-up finish in his previous tournaments . “ I ’ m so happy with my performance and it paid off . I trained hard before this tournament ,” he says .
Pocketing the gold turned out to be a perfect advance birthday gift
By Alex Mino
for Sawal , who turns 21 last March 6 , a week after the tournament .
“ I guess this is the best birthday gift I ’ ve ever had , “ he adds .
Not to be outshine is his younger cousin Shalene , who
captures the silver in under-
21 female individual kata .
Lee , lost a close one to fellow British Columbian , Claudia Laos-Loo in the finals .
It was a tough match for Lee , who tried her best but couldn ’ t keep us against the more superior Laos-Loo .
Another Pinay sizzles for Team BC in the person of Amelie del Rosario , who snatched two gold medals in her own category .
In individual female kata youth division , the young lass outhustles hometown campaigner Jade Fahey .
Earlier in the event , Del Rosario subdues Marissa Meandro of OKF Team Ontario in the individual
female kata cadets .
The British Columbians were dominant from start to finish , garnering 25 golds out of the 65 at stake .
It was the largest edition to date in its 42 year history , assembling no less than 411 athletes , 60 coaches and 65 officials .
This year ’ s edition is considered by far as the biggest gathering in the history of national karate meet .
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman ( PSC ) William “ Butch ” Ramirez expressed hope yesterday that Philippine Olympic Committee ( POC ) president Jose Cojuangco Jr . and PSC member Ramon Fernandez would settle their differences .
But if push comes to shove , Ramirez said the PSC will back Fernandez should the feud goes to court which Fernandez has vowed to do by threatening a libel case against the POC chief .
The feud was ignited by Fernandez ’ s repeated call for Cojuangco to step down as POC president following a controversial POC election last November during which

Ramirez backs Mon vs Cojuangco

Cojuangco was elected unopposed to a fourth fouryear term following the disqualification of his rival , boxing association head Ricky Vargas .
Apparently fed up with Fernandez ’ s constant criticism through his social media account , Cojuangco shot back last Tuesday at the PSA Forum and accused the former PBA star of having “ fixed games ” during his days as a basketball player .
Cojuangco said he has witnesses and proof to back up his claim and will produce them when the time comes .
Ramirez said the PSC and the POC can always hold a dialogue to settle their differences . But he said : “ I am supporting my commissioner and any commissioner for that matter , if it becomes a legal matter .”
Ramirez also has some disagreement with Cojuangco who told the PSC chief not to meddle in POC affairs , such as training athletes for international competitions . Though
Ramirez acknowledged that training athletes is the mandate of NSAs , he advised Cojuangco that if he wants total control of this area , then he should raise his own money and not ask the PSC for support .
“ We ’ re supposed to be examples that sports is about unity , cooperation and here
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he comes telling us not to meddle ,” Ramirez said .
M e a n w h i l e , Ramirez said Malacanang is aware of the current controversy involving the PSC and the POC and that President Duterte has been briefed about it by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Presidential Management Staff chief Bong Go .
Fernandez was reported to be preparing to file a libel case against Cojuangco in Cebu City . But he said he will not file the case on the condition that the POC head
makes a public apology and to step down as POC president .
Told about Fernandez ’ s demands , Cojuangco said that will not happen .
“ What does he want me to do ? Kill myself ?” said Cojuangco . ( N . Giongco , mb )