Team Lakay’s Jenelyn Olsim is hoisting the flag for women athletes in the country’s top mixed martial arts team, as she also seeks to make her own name in ONE Championship like the male fighters before her.
And she’s got a veteran backing her up in this ascent.
Her teammate, Gina Iniong-Araos, is elated to see how Olsim has fared since her arrival in ONE Championship, establishing herself as one of the fiercest female fighters in the promotion.
“Jenelyn has been showing a great promise since she competed in ONE Championship. She won her debut in dominant fashion and I think at the rate she’s fighting now, we can see her challenging for a belt soon,” she said.
Araos is just overjoyed to witness this campaign for Olsim, especially seeing how far the latter has gone in her career.
“I can remember the first time I saw Jenelyn in the Team Lakay Gym and all I saw was a very hardworking and talented fighter. She listens to the coaches and absorbs everything in our training,” Araos recounted.
Olsim’s campaign in the 30th Southeast Asian Games back in 2019 may have also boosted her confidence as she became one of the few Team Lakay medalists in the regional multi-sport event after taking home a silver medal in the women’s 54kg in Muaythai.
In her ONE debut, the 24-year-old Olsim of Bokod, Benguet turned heads as she stunned top five-ranked strawweight contender Maira Mazar with a submission victory via guillotine choke last March.
It was a captivating victory that allowed Olsim to take Mazar’s place in the ONE athlete rankings for the women’s strawweight division.
But now, Olsim is making a move from the strawweight to the atomweight division as she fights the always dangerous Bi Nguyen on Aug. 27. The result of the fight was unavailable as of press time.
Meanwhile, Araos, who also competes in ONE’s atomweight division, has done her part in preparing Olsim for this leap, giving her insightful advice ahead of her fight against Nguyen.
“I just told her to play her game, stick to her plan, and trust herself. She has a great team and an amazing talent and skill set, and all she needs is to trust that, and everything she worked hard for will manifest inside the ONE circle,” she said. – Harley F. Palangchao
April 20, 2024
