Filipino fighters finished with a flourish, adding a third and final gold from Aislinn Agnes Yap to cap a highly-fruitful local campaign in the 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships presented by the Philippine Sports Commission Sunday, June 28.

In front of animated hometown fans at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Yap took down bull-strong Zamzagul Faizollanova of Kazakhstan midway into their match to fashion a close 1-0 decision in retaining her women's -80-kilogram combat sambo crown.

Yap's pin-down of the five-time Kazakhstan national champion was placed under protest by her camp, but a review of the tape by technical officials upheld the previous decision.

It was a third mint for the hosts after national team members Jomary Torres and Aumagel Princess Cortez ruled their respective divisions the previous night in the meet held under the auspices of the National Sports Tourism Interagency Committee led by PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio.

Ranked No. 7 in the world, Torres had literally a knockout performance, striking with a picrture perfect right roundhouse kick to the head of Kazakhstan's Zhadyra Paiyz barely seconds into their women's 50kg combat sambo finals match.

Taking stock of the condition of Paiyz, who stayed on her knees and looked glassy-eyed from the hit, the referee stopped the fight and declared the Filipina fighter the winner by an 8-0 count for the gold.

In gesture of concern and sportsmanship, Torres then stooped down beside her fallen foe to see if she was okay.

Inspired by her national teammate's sterling outing, Cortez struck hard and early in fashion in an emphatic 9-2 triumph over another Kazakhstani, Mervet Berdhinakova in the women's 59kg women's combat sambo class.

Their triumphs softened somewhat the 0-6 loss in the women's +80kg combat sambo defending champion Sydney Sy to familiar rival and former world champion Arailym Abenova of Kazakhstan the same night.

The third silver for the country came yesterday courtesy of national team newcomer Jasmaine Henryk Ching, who lost by submission to Kazakhstan's Gulo Almukhanbetova in the women's -54kg sport sambo finals.

It was a productive finish for the hosts as they took three gold, three silver and eight bronze medals, surpassing their two golds from Yap and Sy to finish fifth overall in the medal standings among 22 countries that took part in the meet organized by the Pilipinas Sambo Federation, Inc.

"Ang sabi namin ni coach Jerry (Legaspi) na dadaanin namin sa suntok pero sabi ko sa sarili ko na maliit yung kalaban ko kaya sinubukan ko. At tumama naman," Torress, a native of Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte, said.

'Malaki ang paghihirap ko na manalo ito kaya masarap ang feeling ko na makuha ang gold," added the former mixed martial arts exponent and the most veteran among national team members at 30 years old.

"Torres has come full circle and she is deserving of her gold medal," noted national team head coach Ace Larida of the fighter's impressive victory. "She is the complete package and deserves that victory."

On the other hand, Sy felt bittersweet about her outcome.

"I really, really wanted to win but it was not my day," Sy said in-between sobs while being consoled by brother Chino.

"But I am proud of how national team performed because we won three golds and saw how our sport practically grew from nothing," added the athlete, who did a yeoman's job in organizing the competition and barely trained while his father, sambo chief Paolo Tancontian, was in sick bay.

Tancontian was delighted by organization of meet and the results of the Filipino campaigners, declaring "we proved once again we are among Asia - and the world's - best. I am very happy with the outcome.

"Now that we've hosted the Asia-Oceania Championships, our next goal is the worlds."