Delarmino gains muay Thai final

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan – Muay thai fighter Phillip Delarmino beat Rusdem Bayramdurdyyew of Turkmenistan, 30-27, to barge into the finals of the -57kg division in the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Wednesday.

Delarmino, a silver medalist in the Asian Beach Games in 2014 and second placer in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar, dominated his rival with a slew of punches and kicks and won in all three rounds at the Martial Arts Arena here.

The 26-year-old Delarmino from Iloilo City guns for the gold against Thailand’s Chotichanin Kokkrachai, who scored a similar 30-27 victory over Almaz Sarsembekov of Kazakhstan in the other semis duel.

Delarmino said they have studied the moves of his Thai rival with coach Billy Alumno and hopes their strategy would be effective for him to finally secure a gold.

“We’ve seen his (Kokkrachai) fights and we have a gameplan against him,” said Delarmino, who reached the quarterfinals in last August’s Muay World Games in Poland.

The Philippines is running 13th overall with a medal haul of two golds, five silvers and six bronzes.

The fighters from taekwondo and belt wrestling settled for a bronze each after Francis Aaron Agojo lost to Jang Jun of South Korea (34-9) in the -58kg semifinals, while Jefferson Manatad fell to Kazakhstan’s Aldos Kulmanbetov (5-0) in the -80kg Classic Style.

Kurash grappler Al Rolan Llamas also settled for a bronze medal after losing in the semifinals against Erkin Omurzakow of Turkmenistan, 10-0, in the men’s -60kg weight class.

Wrestlers Noemi Tener (women’s classic style -60kg), Grace Loberanes (-50kg), Michael Vijay Cater (men’s classic style -55kg), Christof Hofmann Jr. (-90kg) and Jonathan Maquilan (-65kg) didn’t make it to the medal rounds.

Dessa Delos Santos wound up fifth in the women’s weightlifting following a combined lift of 184kg in the women’s 58kg division.

Luo Xiaomin of China (222kg) won the gold medal followed by second-placer Muattar Nabieva of Uzbekistan (212kg) and bronze performer Acchedya Jagaddhita of Indonesia (204kg).