Veteran judoka John Baylon of Binalbagan town, Negros Occidental captured his eighth Southeast Asian Games gold medal in Nakhon Ratchasima , Thailand yesterday.

The 42-year-old Baylon, who represents Zamboanga City in national meets, summoned his vast experience and superior skills to beat three foreign bets to fan his SEA Games winning streak.

Chosen as the flag-bearer of the RP delegation during the opening ceremonies for his consistent performance in the biennial meet, Baylon underscored his might by overpowering Johanes Taslim of Indonesia in the gold medal match of the 81kg division.

Baylon ousted Ronnarong Maruethachinda of Thailand in the quarterfinals, before brushing aside To Hai Long of Vietnam for a place in the gold medal match.

Baylon's streak started in the 1991 SEA Games in Manila . He failed to defend his title in the 1999 SEA Games in Brunei since judo was not included in the calendar of events.

His victory in the 2005 event in Cebu allowed him to surpass taekwondo jin Roberto Cruz for the most uninterrupted reign in the SEA Games.*CPT

back to top