MANILA, Philippines – The national karate team bagged its first medal to add to the Philippines’ haul in the 2018 Asian Games. 

Junna Tsukii secured the country’s 12th bronze medal and 15th overall after toppling Thailand’s Paweena Raksachart, 4-1, in the women’s -50kg semifinal at the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia on Monday, August 27. 

“I’m 50 percent happy, but 50 percent I want gold. That’s why I’ll try to [win] next time,” the Filipino-Japanese karateka said.

After dropping a 1-2 decision to Uzbekistan’s Bakhriniso Babaeva in the quarterfinals, the 26-year-old Tsukii pulled off a 4-2 win over UAE’s Hawraa Alajmi in the repechage to advance to the bronze-medal match. 

“I lost [my first fight because] I played too hard. But I thought that I should relax, then if I relax, then I can do it,” Tsukii said after her Asiad debut. “This medal is not only for me, but for all.”

Tsukii, whose mother is Filipino, also snagged a bronze in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. – with a report from Beatrice Go in Jakarta/Rappler.com