Amateur Brin blazes the boxing
comeback trail
He did not disappoint his handlers. The battle-scarred 30-year-old
fighter, who was plucked out of retirement to wear the national
colors anew, won the gold in the qualifying games and booked
his third trip to the Olympics.
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Romeo Brin |
For Romeo Brin, that meant over a decade of amateur boxing
and a chance to prove he has what it takes to get to the top.
Two forgettable stints in the Olympic Games—early
exit from the Atlanta Games in 1996 and the Sydney Games in
2000—seemed to have relegated one of the country’s
best light welterweights to the sidelines. And the guy himself
said at the time that he would hang up his gloves for good
and instead concentrate on teaching kids the way of the pugilist.
For almost a year Brin was with aspiring boxers in Puerto
Princesa City, acting very much like a young kindergarten
teacher wanting to fuel the kids’ drive to learn. But
at the back of his mind there were always thoughts of climbing
back into the ring.
He said he had earlier told the RP team coaches of his intentions
to rejoin the squad. “Matagal ko na ring pinag-iisipan
kung puwede pa,” said Brin. “Pag nag-eensayo ‘yung
mga bata, sumasama ako para magpakundisyon, palaro-laro ng
basketball.”
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Romeo Brin celebrating with supporter
Puerto Princesa City
Mayor Edward Hagedorn. |
The 22nd Asian Boxing Championship held January 11 in Puerto
Princesa City gave the veteran ring warrior the opportunity.
Three days before the start of the joust, Brin got a call
from the head coach and told of his official inclusion in
the roster, when Mark Jason Melligen, the boxer originally
listed as the team’s 64-kg. fighter, was scratched off
because of the flu.
He made the weight limit of 64 kilograms in such a short
notice. And he dazzled everyone when he won a couple of fights
made it to the finals and, finally, to the quadrennial games.
And he not only secured a slot for himself. He scored a huge
32-28 win over Uzbekistan’s Dilshod Mahmunov in the
title bout, thereby clinching a gold and the Asian championship
crown.
“Siguro nga po dahil gusto ko pa talagang maglaro
ay dininig ng panginoong diyos ‘yung mga panalangin
ko,” said Brin.
“Gusto ko rin talagang bumalik, at nagkataon naman
ang pangyayari tungkol kay Mark. Huling tsansa ko na ito sa
Olympics, kaya hindi ko na pakakawalan” Brin said.
“Nakakatuwa po, napakaraming taong nanonood sa laban
namin. Nandiyan po ang mga team members ko,” added Brin.
“Alam ko sobra ang suporta nila sa akin. Para sa kanila
at sa mga kababayan natin ang panalo kong ito.”
“He has a strong will to win,” said head coach
George Caliwan of Brin. “Maganda ang response niya sa
sports psychologists kaya kumpiyansa rin kami sa kanya.”
Foreign horse racers set to join 3rd
Don Juan Derby
Foreign entries are expected to crowd out local gallopers
for top honors in the 3rd Don Juan Derby at the San Lazaro
Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite, later this year.
Klub Don Juan de Manila has jacked up the total prizes to
P2 this year, making October’s event the richest race
for 3-Year-Olds and the second biggest racing spectacle in
the country next only to the Presidential Gold Cup.
As a side event, the organizers are also staging the Don
Juan Golden Girls for fillies and mares.
Local entrants will have their hands full in the 2,000-meter
race, according to organizers, as leading thoroughbred organizations
in New Zealand and India, attracted by the P1.2 million prize
for the winner, have expressed intentions to join the race.
Owners and breeders may nominate their horses, with fees
of P5,000 for weanlings (2003 foals), P10,000 for yearlings
(2002 foals) and P20,000 for 2-Year-Olds until Jan. 31.
Rising 3-year-Olds may also be pre-entered by paying a nomination
fee of P40,000 until Aug. 30.
“So far ten have been nominated by club members,”
said race director Sonny Arevalo at the event’s official
launching at the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City. He added he
is expecting 14 horses to join the fray, including top chargers
such as Empire King and Don Paolo.
“We plan to institutionalize the event, and we have
come up with an attractive pre-entry scheme for derby hopefuls,”
said Klub Don Juan president Albert Trinidad. “At the
same time we are opening the door to foreign-bred gallopers.”
He also said that local horse breeders and racers are planning
to organize the first Don Juan International Derby. For this
reason, the club is holding talks with horseracing organizations
in Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, and India.
The foreign breeders are asking a guaranteed prize of $100,000
or roughly P5.5 million.
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