Jamie sets Olympic goal

MANILA, Philippines — Jamie Lim never expected to extend her stay as a national karateka beyond the recent Southeast Asian Games but after winning the kumite gold in the +61 kg category, she’s now setting her sights on qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.

Lim, 22, took a break from karate for four years while finishing her Math degree at UP Diliman. She graduated with summa cum laude honors last June. Her first plan was to apply for a Master’s program in a US school and while in process, work as a lecturer in a UP teaching job. Then came the chance to represent the country in the SEA Games.

Lim took up karate when she was six and won her first championship after three years of persistence. She earned her black belt at 18 then decided to focus on academics. Lim had won several national and international titles at the club level but politics got in the way of an opportunity to compete for the country.

“I thought why not try to compete in the SEA Games, just once,” she said. “It was a long shot but since we were hosting, I told myself it would be something special to win at home. I started training in July and after a month, went to Singapore and took second place. I had gotten used to winning so this was a wake-up call. I felt kulang pa sa training and I needed to do extra work. I also didn’t win gold in another tournament in Beijing. Luckily, I won gold in the Turkish Open and that set me up for the SEA Games.”

Lim said preparing for the SEA Games meant a 24/7 commitment. “Our routine was two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon but three of us in the team added more hours,” she said. “We were first in and last out at the gym. After training, I would watch videos until I fell asleep at night.”

In the SEA Games, Lim defeated Malaysia’s Audrey Japyus, 7-2, in the quarters and Vietnam’s Thao Thi Bui, 5-1, in the semis, arranging a final showdown with 2015 world champion and 2019 Asian silver medalist Zeyco Sefanya of Indonesia. “We won a gold on the first day with Junna (Tsukii) but we were blanked on the second. It came down to the last match on the last day and I was the last hope for a second gold. I won, 2-1, and it was the happiest moment of my life because I wasn’t expected to win. Our coach (Okay Arpa of Turkey) cried and he doesn’t usually cry. He told me after winning in his last competition in 2010, he thought he would never feel the thrill of victory again until I won. Winning the gold was crazy.”

The day after, Lim visited her father Samboy who is wheelchair-bound in a Wack Wack apartment. “I wore the medal around my neck and got Dad’s hand to touch it,” she said. “I know he’s very happy. He won two gold medals in basketball at the SEA Games so I wanted to win one for him. His nurse told me he followed my final match on TV and heaved a sigh of relief when I won. My victory was for him while my summa cum laude was for my mom (Lelen Berberabe).”

Lim took a break during the holidays then returned to train last Thursday. She’ll join four national teammates to compete in Chile on Jan. 10-12 with coach Chino Veguillas pinch-hitting for Arpa who’s flying back from Turkey on Jan. 11. “We’re competing on our own and three of us are still looking for sponsors,” she said.

Lim said at the moment, her plan is to continue focusing full-time on karate until the Olympics. “It’s a long shot to qualify just like it was to win gold in the SEA Games,” she said. “But I’m going for it. There are 10 competitors in each weight division in kumite in Tokyo. Host Japan has one slot. Four slots will be given to the highest ranking athletes as of this April. The rankings are determined over a three-year period where points are given for participation and placing. Three slots will be awarded to the top finishers of the qualifying event in Paris in May. That’s the tournament I’m hoping to join. I think about 100 competitors will enter. The gold, silver and two bronze medalists will battle in a round robin to determine the three qualifiers for Tokyo. IOC also reserves the right to give two wildcard slots.”

Lim said the mission is to represent the country in the Paris qualifiers. “We’ll probably send three men and three women,” she said. In Tokyo, the kumite divisions are 67, 75, and +75 kg for men and 55, 61 and +61 for women. There will also be a kata event for men and women.