SEA Games: Samboy Lim’s daughter Jamie skywalks to top, bags gold in karate

By Waylon Galvez

Karateka Jamie Christine Lim claimed the gold medal in the +61kg kumite event following a thrilling 2-1 win over Ceyco Zefanya of Indonesia in the 30th Southeast Asian Games Monday at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

The daughter of basketball great Samboy Lim and former Pag-IBIG Fund CEO Darlene Berberabe, Lim picked up the dramatic win after just five months of training for the biennial meet.

The hard work paid off as she gave PH karatedo its second gold after Filipino-Japanese Junna Tsukii triumphed in the -50kg kumite category over the weekend.

Lim said that it was only last July that she resumed her training since she was focused on her studies, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree at the University of the Philippines.

“I worked super hard for this,” said the 22-year-old Lim, whose mom was among those who cheered her from the stands. “Four years stop ako (competing) because I’ve always on academics.”

“Sobrang against the odds, because yung mga kalaban ko full time athletes po sila and nag-full time lang ako like five month ago. Basta I did my work, as in I worked hard everyday, tapos no shortcuts. I wanted it so much.”

On her way to the gold medal match, Lim scored impressive wins opposite Malaysia’s Audrey Japyus 7-3 in the quarterfinals, and Thi Thao Bui of Vietnam 5-1 in the semifinal round.

Lim, a gold medalist in the Amatör Spor Haftasi Karate Championship in Sakarya, Turkey last October, credited the entire karatedo national team, especially Turkish head coach Okay Arpa for their belief in her as she came back from that four-year hiatus.

“Binantayan niya (Arpa) talaga ako and naniwala siya sa akin,” said Lim. “I was so bad nung start kasi four years stop talaga. He just never stopped believing in me and up to today, believes in me, he always believes in me.”

“Karate has always been in my heart,” she said “And 2019 SEA Games in the Philippine, how special is that di ba? The timing is perfect, I just graduated. I got my goal sa academics. I think the signs just told me to, it’s calling me, calling me to comeback.”

She said that her parents have always been her inspirations, and to finish her studies and capped the year with the SEA Games gold medal, Lim said it’s just a perfect year for her.

“Summa cum laude is for mom, SEA Games gold for dad. I can’t believe that both of them happened this year, 2019 is so perfect for me. I’m just so grateful, I’m grateful,” she said.

“I looked up to my mom and dad so much. To even come close to him, as in to be compared to him and to mom, parang it’s so big for me. Kaya today is just so special for me. I feel happy.”

In the history of Philippines basketball, Lim – known as the ‘Skywalker” – is considered one of the best, both as member of the national team and in the PBA where he was named among the top 25 Greatest Players. During a basketball game in November 2014, he collapsed and was in comatose for more than a year.

He was in a wheelchair when he attended her daughter’s graduation last July.

Source: Manila Bulletin