Nakuha ni Jean Claude Saclag ang unang silver medal ng Pilipinas sa 20th Asian Games matapos matalo kay Otabek Rajabov ng Tajikistan, 0-3, sa finals ng men’s traditional -65kg ng mixed martial arts nitong Martes sa Nagoya City Inae Sports Center sa Japan.
Iyon ang pang-apat na medalya ng Pilipinas kasunod ng tatlong bronze mula sa women’s soft tennis team, women’s karate team at Carlos Alvarez ng MMA
“It’s a real shame. I really wanted to win gold. I expected that I could win it. I’m sad — not just because I lost, but because of my performance,” ani Saclag, na umaming inaasahan niyang mas mahusay ang kanyang magiging performance, ngunit nahirapan siya sa lakas ni Rajabov sa ground.
“I thought I had improved, but he was incredibly tight on the ground. I wanted to stand up to get back into the fight, but he just wouldn’t let me up.”
Tinalo ng 31-anyos na si Saclag, tubong Kalinga, si Daisuke Murayama ng Japan sa pamamagitan ng unanimous decision sa semifinals.
“Yes, well fought. Big heart. He apologized. I said, ‘That is a rare silver.’ Be proud, JC,” pahayag ni Philippine Sports Commission Chair John Patrick Gregorio.
Nakuha ni Saclag ang silver medal sa wushu sanda -60kg division noong 2014 Asian Games sa Incheon, South Korea. Sa parehong taon, nasungkit niya ang gold sa World Cup sa Jakarta, Indonesia.
Bilang kickboxer, nagkampeon siya sa tatlong Southeast Asian Games noong 2019 Manila, 2022 Vietnam at 2023 Cambodia.
Nito lang Mayo, nagwagi si Saclag ng gold medal sa traditional -65kg division sa 4th Asian MMA Championships sa Tashkent, Uzbekistan.