ANGELES CITY, PAMPANGA (PIA)- Dabawenyo Chino Sy Tancontian bagged the gold in the 82 kilogram Sport Sambo event yesterday (Dec. 5) at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.

The 17-year old Tancontian bested Singaporean Gary Chow in the thrilling finals match of the 82kg Sports Sambo category, adding another gold to the Philippines' medal tally here in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

The Pilipinas Sambo team got two golds during the first day of the Sambo event held here in Angeles City Pampanga. Mark Striegl won the gold in the 70 kg Combat Sambo division as he defeated Singaporean Singh Jaswant in the finals.

Meanwhile in other Sambo divisions, Filipino sambists Patrick Manicad and Nino Mondejar got bronze medals in combat sambo's 80 kg and 90 kg competitions.

The Philippine team will be competing for three more events today (Dec. 6). Pilipinas Sambo Federation Inc. (PSFI) president Atty Paolo Claudio said they are targeting 4 to 5 golds for the country in the Sambo event.

The opening day of the Sambo event was attended by Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev, representing the country where Sambo originated and where it is considered as a national sport. Also in attendance was Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles who is also the current chairman of the Pilipinas Sambo Federation Inc., the national governing body of Sambo in the Philippines.

During his speech at the event, PSFI chair Karlo Nograles cited the strides that the Philippines achieved in hosting the sambo event in the 30th SEA Games, the first time Sambo is part of the biennial regional sporting event.

"The Russian sport has been played in over 80 countries but it was only in 2015 that the Philippines joined the list of Sambo countries when the PSFI sent its first lone delegate to the 2015 World Championships in Casablanca," Nograles said.

The Cabinet Secretary said the SEA Games Sambo competitions will help promote the sport not just in the Philippines but also within Southeast Asia as well. (PIA/RG Alama)