Asian Games: URCC part of Folayang’s Asiad buildup

Multi-titled wushu athlete Eduard Folayang is using his stint in the fast rising martial arts (MMA) as part of his training for the Asian Games set November in Guangzhou, China.

Multi-titled wushu athlete Eduard Folayang is using his stint in the fast rising martial arts (MMA) as part of his training for the Asian Games set November in Guangzhou, China.
A silver medalist in the Doha Games four years ago, Folayang is one of several athletes tipped to win gold medals in Guangzhou.
“I’m playing in the MMA to keep me in tip-top shape and to avoid the so-called ‘ring rust’. By playing in the MMA, I can learn new techniques,” said Folayang during the press launching of the Colt 45-URCC XVII last Wednesday where he’s one of the special guests.
Just last week, he scored a unanimous decision over Mongolian Bao She Ri Gu Leng in their superfight lightweight showdown in the Martial Combat at Resorts World in Singapore.
Folayang’s victory was a fitting sequel to his impressive win – via submission (guillotine) over Slovakia’s Egon “The Piranha” Racks last June 17 also in the same tournament.
The absence of Chinese Xu Yan Fei – the player who beat him for the gold medal – also augurs well to his gold medal campaign.
After winning a bronze medal in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Folayang stamped his clash in the region by winning the gold medal in the SEA Games in 2003 (Vietnam) and 2005 (Manila). But his weight category was scrapped in the two stagings of the biennial event.
But to ensure the success of the wushu squad, which had little exposure abroad in the past, Folayang is hoping that new Philippines Sports Commissioner chairman will come to their rescue, saying: “We need to train abroad and we need to have a foreign coach.”
Apart from Folayang, also making it to the RP men’s squad to the Guangzhou Asian Games are Mard Eddiva and Benjie Guevarra – both members of the Lakay Wusu team which Folayang co-founded to propagate the sport of wushu.
Though Xu won’t be around, Folayang, who was also a silver medalist in the 2006 World Cup, still believes that a Chinese athlete will be the thorn to his bid of winning the gold medal.