Filipino karatekas Sebastian Neil Mañalac, Zian Alexander Sing, and Aeleyah Magrata are poised to shine at the Karate One Youth League. The event kicks off this Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Seventeen-year-old Mañalac is a standout competitor with a strong international record. He has dominated his age group at the National Championships for five consecutive years and has earned multiple medals in regional tournaments.
Mañalac earned gold and bronze at the recent Asian Cadet, Junior, and Under-21 Karate Championships, ranking him No. 8 in his category worldwide.
In his last international outing, Mañalac competed in the junior kumite -68-kilogram class in Fujairah, UAE, securing two wins.
Rising Stars in the Competition
Zian Alexander Sing, also 17, has demonstrated his skills by winning gold in the junior men's 61kg category at the Shureido International Karate Cup in Jakarta last year.
Sing has consistently performed well, claiming victories at the Philippine International Open Karate Championship and the recent National Championships.
Aeleyah Magrata is another key competitor, excelling in both kumite and kata disciplines. She will compete in the juniors -66kg women's kumite.
Magrata recently won gold in the juniors female intermediate kata and silver in the cadets female +61kg kumite at the Batang Pinoy National Games.
All three young karatekas have been training very hard, and I wouldn't be surprised if they figure prominently in the battle for gold in their respective age group categories.
Ricky Lim, Karate Chief
Lim emphasized that while there are other talented athletes, Mañalac, Sing, and Magrata are the top medal hopes for the Manila leg of the Karate One Youth League.