By Jean Malanum
MANILA – Sebastian Neil Mañalac, Zian Alexander Sing and Aeleyah Magrata will lead hometown bets in the Karate One Youth League which unfolds Thursday at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The 17-year-old has dominated his age group division at the National Championships for the last five years and is a consistent Batang Pinoy National Games gold medalist.
Last February, Mañalac won two matches in the junior kumite men’s -68kg class at the Karate One Youth League leg in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
The Lourdes School of Mandaluyong graduate secured a gold and bronze medal in the 22nd Asian Cadet, Junior and U21 Karate Championships at Philsports Arena in Pasig City in 2024, earning him No. 8 in the World Karate Federation rankings in his age group category.
He also bagged a gold and a bronze medal in the 1st Asian Karate Federation Youth tournament and training camp staged in Wuhan, China two years ago.
Sing, also 17, topped the junior men’s 61kg category at the 4th Shureido International Karate Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia last year.
He also won at the 6th Manuel Veguillas Philippine International Open Karate Championship in 2025 and the recent Nationals in Tagaytay City.
Magrata will see action in the women’s -66kg kumite division. She rule the same category last year at the Karate Pilipinas Grand Winner tournament.
At the 2025 Batang Pinoy National Games held in General Santos City, she pocketed the gold medal in the juniors female intermediate kata (form) and got the silver in the cadets female +61kg division in kumite.
“All three young karatekas have been training very hard and I wouldn’t be suprised if they figure prominently in battle for gold in their respective age group categories,” Karate ng Pilipinas Sports Federation, Inc. president Ricky Lim said in a news release Monday.
“There may be others, but for now, Mañalac, Sing and Magrata are our brighest hopes for the Karate One Youth League Manila leg.” (Jean Malanum/PNA)
