March 29, 2024

Despite undergoing an operation a month prior to hardcore training, Carlo Von Bumina-ang bagged the silver medal in the vovinam, a Vietnamese martial art, in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.

Team Lakay said Bumina-ang has displayed grit and perseverance all throughout his SEA Games outing, his first out-of-country tournament.

The athlete has undergone appendectomy on March 7 and returned to rigid training after a month.

“Carlo was injured during his fight in Vietnam but he did not stop. He did not surrender.

He showed the true spirit of a warrior, the burning passion to win,” Team Lakay said in its social media post.

Bumina-ang defeated Vietnamese athlete Xuan Hieu Duo in the semifinals,11-10.

He was stopped short of his gold medal victory by Virekkaamchhitphouthong Eh of Cambodia, 2-7 leaving him to take the second place in the 65-kilogram category.

Prior to the SEA Games, Bumina-ang had been training for the ONE Hero Philippines by ONE Championship, but the event was stopped due to the pandemic.

The Vovinam Philippine team brought home one silver and two bronze medals with Jenelyn Olsim contributing one bronze in the women’s 55-kg. and Zephania Ngaya in the women’s 60-kg.

Other homegrown athletes who joined the team but failed to secure podium finish were Gina Araos and Danny Kingad.

The Philippine team spent most of their training in Baguio City and Benguet with Team Lakay chair Mark Sangiao as one of the trainers.

The host country brought the traditional Vietnamese martial arts vovinam back in the SEA Games after a nine-year absence. – Ofelia C. Empian