‘Golden boy’ De los Santos strikes 50th karate gold

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebuano world No.1 e-karateka Orencio James “OJ” de los Santos kept on minting gold medals that he is now nearing the halfway mark of his record last year.

And he did it in just four months.

The 30-year-old De los Santos sustained his hot streak after reigning supreme in the Katana Intercontinental League #3 on Monday.

After getting past his rivals from France, Norway and United States, De los Santos  edged Matias Moreno Domont of Switzerland in the final round, 27.4-26.8, for his 14th gold medal of the year.

“I realized that in addition to last year, I’ve already reached an overall total of 50 gold medals from competing virtually,” shared the two-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games bronze medalist on his Facebook page.

At the height of the pandemic, De los Santos hauled a total of 36 golds spiced up with three silver and two bronze medals in 42 online competitions he joined to emerge as the world’s highest ranked online karateka at the end of 2020.

“More to look forward to! Just enjoy the process, and everything else will follow,” De los Santos said. — EBV