Cambodia's Kaila Napolis caused the first surprise in the jiu-jitsu event of the 32nd SEA Games when she defeated the host country's former world champion Jessa Khan to win the gold medal in the -52kg category.
Napolis cried his eyes out after defeating Jessa Khan to win the gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games. Photo: Lam Thoa
"Defeating Jessa right in Cambodia was really beyond my imagination. I don't know how to express my feelings. Tears just flowed because I was so surprised and so happy with this victory," Napolis told VnExpress after receiving the gold medal in Phnom Penh this afternoon, May 4.
Napolis is a top jiu-jitsu fighter in the Philippines, having reached the 49kg world final in Korea in 2019. However, the -52kg final at the 32nd SEA Games this afternoon is still expected to be difficult for the Philippine athlete because his opponent Khan won the 2018 Asian Games gold medal and defeated Napolis in the 2019 world championship gold medal match.
The reality at the Chroy Changvar Stadium in Phnom Penh also showed that the Filipino boxer was overwhelmed and leading in most of the match. However, Napolis unexpectedly took advantage of her opponent's weakness to create a turning point near the end of the match. She successfully swept and locked the home boxer, thereby winning two points to reverse the situation and win the gold medal.
Napolis locked Khan down to win the -52kg final on the afternoon of May 4.
Khan was born in 2001, has Cambodian, Mexican, and American blood, and is considered the "Jiu-Jitsu Queen" of Angkor. At the age of 16, she visited Cambodia and was invited to join the country's Jujitsu team. That same year, she became the pride of Cambodian martial arts when she won the gold medal at the 2018 ASIAD. Khan continued to excel, winning the gold medal at the 2019 SEA Games, but was eliminated from the 2022 SEA Games in Vietnam for being overweight.
When the 32nd SEA Games took place on home soil, Khan was expected to bring home the gold medal in the -52kg category for Cambodia. She continuously defeated opponents from Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam with a handshake victory (the scoreboard is currently 100-0), before unexpectedly falling to Napolis.
Kaila Napolis locked Jessa Khan down and was declared the winner, winning the gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games on the afternoon of May 4. Photo: Duc Dong
"I lost to Khan at the 2019 SEA Games. When we played again today, I didn't think I could win because she was too strong. The match was very difficult for me, but in the last minutes, a miracle happened," Napolis added.
Khan also cried after losing the gold medal. However, she was still cheered enthusiastically by Cambodian fans when she went up to the podium to receive the silver medal. Meanwhile, Napolis cried from the end of the match until the end of the medal ceremony. When his teammates took pictures together, the Filipino boxer used the mascot to cover his face to hide his red eyes from crying.
Lam Thoa (from Phnom Penh)
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