Jamie Lim (2019 SEA Games FB page)
MANILA – Jamie Lim believes the Philippine team still has enough time to prepare for the Olympic qualifying events lined up for early 2021 despite the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic halting physical training for quite some time.
"Five months is great enough," the country’s rising star karateka said on Saturday.
The 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist said, the online training she is getting keeps her in shape for the rest of 2020 amid the pandemic.
"Since March naman na nag-lockdown (Ever since March when the lockdown was imposed), we've been continuing our training. We have Zoom training and training on our own," said Lim, the daughter of Philippine Basketball Association legend Samboy Lim, a former national team player himself.
Lim will be among the 46 athletes from three different sports to enter the national team training bubble at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba next weekend.
Philippine Sports Institute national training director Marc Velasco said Lim and the rest of the national karate team will enter the so-called "Calambubble" on Jan. 17.
The Nationals will spend the next three months training for their Olympic qualifiers.
But for Lim, the job does not stop at the Calambubble.
"We'll also be abroad joining training camps and watching and joining tournaments," she further said.
The overseas training will last for another two months.
The national karate team will join the Olympic qualifiers in Paris in June along with an estimated 100 more, and Lim is expecting a tough grind there.
"Everyone wants to be part of the Olympics, and this is really the last shot," she said.
But Lim vowed, "I'm gonna do everything I can. I'll do my best and hope for the best."
Only three karatekas from each division will qualify for the main tournament in Tokyo. (PNA)
