Despite the fast approaching Closing Ceremony, the last day of Salingkusog did not skimp out on the exhilaration, as the Visayas State University’s Convention Center became a passionate battleground for athletes competing in the multitude tournaments for Arnis.
The Arnis tournos are divided over various categories, with the two main categories being straight Arnis, a straightforward battle between two opponents to see who bests the other in Martial Prowess, and Arnis Anyo, a study of the athlete’s mastery over the forms of the martial art.
These are further subdivided into multiple other categories, with Anyo being divided into the Individual and Synchronized Categories, Traditional and Non-Traditional, and further into Single Baton, Double Batons, and Open categories. Arnis itself was also divided between weight classes, namely Pin, Bantam, Feather, Extra Light, Half Light, Light, Half Middle, Middle, Light Heavy, Heavy, and Open Weights.
The Men’s category of the tournament was a wild ride, seeing a wide variety of teams winning through fanatic displays of their skills.
The Lethal Orthrus won Gold for the Anyo Individual Double Baston Non-Traditional Event, trailed at 2nd by the Luring Sirens.
This meanwhile was reversed for the Open Form Non-Traditional Individual Category for Anyo, with the Luring Sirens clinching the gold away from the Lethal Orthrus.
Lethal Orthrus once again went for gold in the Synchronized Non traditional Single Baston Category though, as well as for the Open form version of the event.
In the Individual Single Baston Traditional category, the Ascendant Chimeras proved their superiority as they put the Luring Sirens and Centicore Vanguards in the dust, whilst the Double Baston version of the event saw the Luring Sirens coming out on top over the Lethal Orthrus and Centicore Vanguard, as they did for the Open Form Category.
Lethal Orthrus once again went for gold in the Synchronized Category, clinching first place in the Single Baston Traditional category for Anyo, as they did on the Open Form.
For Arnis, the Pin Weight event witnessed the Luring Sirens once again dominating the competition, defeating the bets of the Centicore Vanguards in the fight. They also defeated the bets of the Ascendant Chimeras and Centicore Vanguards in the Bantam Weight Category.
The Featherweight Category saw another Gold for the Lethal Orthrus, putting the Ascendant Chimeras in their place at 2nd, whilst the Luring Sirens and Centicore Vanguards shared 3rd place. Their fortunes turned in the Extra Light Weight category though, placing third as the Luring Sirens clinched Gold away from them and the Centicore Vanguards, who placed 2nd.
The Half Light Weight Category finally saw a gold medal for the Centicore Vanguards, defeating Lethal Orthrus and Luring Sirens who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The Light Weight Category gave yet another Gold for the Luring Sirens, getting on top of the Ascendant Chimeras and the Centicore Vanguards, who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. Not all is lost for the Chimeras though, as they manage to snatch gold for the Half Middleweight category, beating out the other factions as the Lethal Orthrus place second, the Sirens third, and the Centicores fourth. They also managed to grab 2nd place in the Middle Weight Category, beaten out from the Gold by the Centicore Vanguards, though placing above the Luring Sirens.
In a similar fashion, the Centicore Vanguards once again got another gold for the Light Heavyweight Category, Smashing the Sirens and the Chimeras who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. The Sirens beat them back however for the Heavyweight Gold.
The Chimeras are once again Ascendant for the Open Form, beating out the Luring Sirens, who placed 2nd, as well as the Vanguards and Orthrus, placing 3rd and 4th.
For the Women’s Category, the Lethal Orthrus snapped away the gold for the Anyo Individual Single Baton Nontraditional Event, beating out the Centicore Vanguards and the Ascendant Chimeras, placing 2nd and 3rd. They also clinched the gold for the Double Baston version of the event, as well as for the Open Form.
The Vanguards took the lead for the Anyo Individual Single Baston Traditional Event, with Lethal Orthrus placing second, and the Sirens placing third. They also lead the way in the Double Baston version of the event, placing the Orthrus at second once again, though they’re finally beaten out by the Orthrus in the Open Form version of the event.
The Orthruses lead as well in the Synchronized Single Baston Non Traditional Event and the Open Form, whilst beating the Centicore Vanguards for the Double Baston.
As for the Arnis competitions, the Pin Weight Event saw yet another victory for the Chimeras, Ascending over the Orthrus placing second, as well as the Sirens at third, and the Vanguards at fourth, with the same results translating over to the Featherweight event, though the Bantamweight event instead saw an Orthrus Victory, whereas the Sirens and Centicores placed 2nd and 3rd.
The Chimeras return to first place for the Extra Light category, forcing the Lethal Orthrus back in 2nd place, whilst the Sirens and Vanguards place 3rd and 4th. The Sirens fought back for the Half Light weight, getting gold whilst the Lethal Orthrus got 2nd, with the Chimeras at 3rd and the Vanguards at 4th. The Vanguards got gold for the Light Weight category when they beat the Sirens in the competition.
The Ascendant Chimeras make a return for the Half Middleweight category, pushing back the Sirens and the Centicores at 2nd and 3rd place. The Vanguards rode the punches and managed to steal back 1st place for Middle Weight, the Chimeras placing 2nd and the Sirens 3rd, as well as also managing to beat the Sirens for the Light Heavy gold.
They were once again beaten back down to 2nd place for the Heavyweight Category by the Ascendant Chimeras, whilst the Sirens managed to make a comeback for the Open Form as the Vanguards placed 2nd and the Chimeras 3rd.