Olsim says she 'gave everything' in atomweight Grand Prix loss vs Phogat
MANILA, Philippines — There were no regrets for Team Lakay's Jenelyn Olsim after absorbing a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of India's Ritu Phogat in the semifinals of the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix during "ONE: NextGen" in Singapore on Friday.
Taking the fight in only four days notice as an alternate after Phogat's original foe Itsuki Hirata withdrew, Olsim said she was able to come to the Circle with all that she could muster in the situation.
"I think that I gave everything I have now and did my best to adjust for the past few days," Olsim told Philstar.com after the fight.
"But I guess it was not enough. I am still blessed, though, that I was given this opportunity," she added.
Olsim was able to defend herself well against the tremendous wrestling of the Indian fighter.
But the difference between their grappling skills was too great, as Phogat was still able to score on takedowns and employ the ground-and-pound.
Despite taking the loss, the atomweight contender was thankful for the opportunity to face such a high-calibre wrestler like Phogat, which Olsim says can help her in the long run.
"She is indeed a good wrestler, and yes I learned from our fight... People learn and evolve from their experiences," she said.
Now, Olsim will watch from the sidelines as Phogat competes in the Finals of the Grand Prix against Thailand's Stamp Fairtex.
She also weighed in on what she thinks will happen.
"Both of them are great... Ritu os a wrestler plus she is improving still in various aspects of the sport. As for Stamp, she's already proved that she can grapple and wrestle," she said.
"Unahan nalang, if ma-KO ni Stamp or a decision win for Ritu," she added.
The Finals for the Grand Prix are set in early December still in Singapore.
- Latest
- Trending
