Fernandez saves day for arnis team
By Josef Ramos

When the country’s bets in its own indigenous sport of arnis were taking a terrible beating, someone stepped up to save Philippine pride Sunday afternoon.

Anna Joy Fernandez refused to bow down against Vietnamese rival Le Thi Thanh Huyen to pull off a crucial 2-1 victory and take the gold in the women’s singles full contact 52kg event at the Emilio Aguinaldo College gym.

Hardpressed in the first round, Fernandez reeled back with a confusing 1-2 setback over her opponent who was illegally attempting to hold her sticks and the judges probably looking the other way.

The 22- year old Air Force lass, however, rebounded from a sluggish start and strongly hit her Vietnamese rival not once, not twice but over and over again with two sticks to storm in front, 4-1, in the second round and tie the game at 1-1.

Showing enough pride and guts, Fernandez didn’t allow Huyen to do the dirty tricks anymore as she was blocked perfectly most of the time. From thereon, the momentum shifted back to Fernandez. The Vietnamese tried to hold her right stick for a good advantage, but the Singaporean and the Cambodian judges finally noticed the dirty tactics and eventually deducted some points.

With that, Fernandez edged out Huyen for the gold medal and avenged the loss of a teammate in the men’s singles full contact event.

“I tried to read her movements but she’s trying to hold my weapons, so it is very hard for me to move. But I don’t want to disappoint the crowd particularly my relatives and of course my mother who are all watching at the sidelines,” said Fernandez.

Before entering in the final round, Fernandez easily crushed Timor Leste’s Elizabeth Yanti Almeda Dois Reis, 5-0, in the semifinals. Le Thi Thanh Huyen settled for silver and Dois Reis got the bronze.


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