Tsukii to get P500k reward from POC for World Games karate gold

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii stands to receive another bounty for her World Games gold medal in Birmingham, Alabama two weeks ago — a cool P500,000 check from the Philippine Olympic Committee.

POC president Abraham Tolentino on Friday made the announcement of the additional incentive to Tsukii, who also gets P1 million from the Philippine Sports Commission for her test as mandated by law.

“The POC recognizes Junna’s feat with honor, it wasn’t the Olympics but the World Games are that tough a competition,” said the mayor from Tagaytay.

As this developed, the POC also added P100,000 to help ailing track legend Lydia de Vega-Mercado, who is battling Stage Four breast cancer.

It was apart from the P100,000 Tolentino will donate from his personal account to De Vega Mercado, who is currently in critical condition and confined at the Makati Medical Center.

“The news saddens me and the POC, our very own Lydia de Vega, our sports great, a Philippine treasure,” said Tolentino. “We in the POC family, my family, are hoping and praying that she wins this fight in the same manner as she won those great races in her prime.”