Napolis eyes gold against bigger foes

Kayla Napolis (on floor) is facing an underdog battle for a gold medal. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CHENGDU, China—On the World Games’ first true lull for Team Philippines, Kaila Napolis spent her recovery day thinking about the only way forward: through a heavier, harder door.

Twenty-four hours after she fell agonizingly short of gold in the women’s -52-kilogram ne-waza, the Muntinlupa City standout throws herself into the ju-jitsu open division on Tuesday at the Jianyang Cultural and Sports Centre Gymnasium—an anything-goes bracket that folds together athletes from -52kg up to 63kg.

“I believe in miracles,” Napolis said, leaning on faith as much as fight. “I don’t know what will happen ahead since I will be battling other fighters in heavier divisions, but we’ll see what I can do for the country. I’m always ready.”

She needs to be ready.

The open field features 18 athletes drawn from the 52, 57 and 63kg classes, a daylong gauntlet that runs from the Round of 16 to the medal matches in the afternoon. The format leaves little margin for error, especially for someone conceding size in every exchange.

It also offers the cleanest line to closure. If the draw breaks right, Napolis could see South Korea’s Eon Ju Im again—the rival who denied her the -52kg title Sunday night.

There’s no sugarcoating the scale of the task Napoles faces, and members of Team Philippines are keeping it real.

“Those in the 63kgs are surely tough to beat,” said Annie Ramirez, who looks for her own reset after an early exit at 57kg.

As the Games schedule loosened, Filipino athletes spent the day taking a break from the grind.

But the pause won’t last with action resuming on Tuesday.

Hergie Bacyadan, freshly returned from a Paris Olympic run in boxing, shifts back to kickboxing and gets her bid going at Sichuan Gymnasium. The Kalinga Province native will campaign in the women’s 70kg class, with her opponent to be determined after Monday night’s draw.

At the Civil Aviation Flight University of China Tianfu Campus Gymnasium, Chezka Centeno drives on despite a 6-7 final preliminary loss to China’s Yu Han in women’s 10-ball. The Filipina cue artist had already banked enough to reach the quarterfinals, anchored by a steady 7-2 win over Easton Savannah of the United States.

Two other Filipino cue masters are in scramble mode. Rubilen Amit and Jeff de Luna, both needing to play from behind after opening defeats, face crucial assignments—Amit against China’s Shasha Lui and de Luna versus Poland’s Oliver Szolnoki—as they try to keep their campaigns here alive.

Meanwhile, the men’s floorball team looks for a lift after a bruising 18-0 loss to Switzerland. A classification match against host China for seventh place awaits at 10 p.m. on Tuesday at Xindu Xiangcheng Sports Centre.

Across all these fronts, Napolis’s climb in the open division will highlight the day. With the porspect of battling bigger foes, she thrives on a single mantra.

“I’m always ready,” she said.