Filipino jiu-jitsu fighter Kaila Napolis once again brought honor to the Philippines on Thursday when she snared the country’s first gold medal in the World Combat Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Her golden moment came a day after Napolis, represented by her parents, got incentives reaching P800,000 from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commissioner chairman Richard Bachmann for bagging a bronze medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The check was among many bonuses handed out during the “Gabi ng Parangal at Pasasalamat para sa Bayaning Atletang Pilipino” at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Napolis bagged the gold medal when she got past France’s Annael Pannatier, 2-0, in the finals of the 52-kg ne-waza event.
It was the Philippines’ seventh medal in the World Combat Games.
Agatha Wong and Clemente Tabugara, Jr. bagged silver medals in wushu, while four bronze medals were taken in by wushu’s Jones Inso and Thornton Sayan, and wrestling bets Maria Ratcliff and Fierre Afan.