16/11/2025
๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฆ | ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ก๐ผ๐, ๐ง๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ต ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
The ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฌ of ๐๐๐๐ showed determination and spirit throughout their performances on ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, at the ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐จ ๐๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ for the ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐, putting up a good fight for the whole den and finishing in ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ in ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง, ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐๐ men and women categories.
Standing out in this yearโs campaign was ๐
๐๐ข๐ณ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐, CSSHโs supposed lone medal-earner for the category. Initially, she was awarded the bronze medalโa moment of pride for both her and the collegeโbut a later correction in scoring led to the change in her placement.
In an interview, Ombra shared the process she went through after the news from the initial shock to acceptance and chanelling of energies.
The news came as a surprise. "๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฆ๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต." Ombra says.
๐ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ช๐ต,โ she said. "๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐'๐ฎ ๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐'๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ฐ."
Rather than dwelling on the disappointment, Leah focused on the progress she made. Competing without prior experience, she displayed courage, determination, and undeniable potential.
When asked about her message to other athletes who may face similar circumstances, she emphasized turning these unfortunate events into a source of motivation.
"๐'๐ญ๐ญ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐จ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ณ๐บ, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ'๐ญ๐ญ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ."
Although the CSSH Tigers did not secure a medal for this category, the Arnis team gave their best to bring pride and honor to the college finishing in fourth place, just one rank to the bronze. What Leah has shown proves that victories do not only come from the number of medals secured but also from the strength to rise in adversities.
Written by Irish Coleen Gumba
Photo by Irish Coleen Gumba
Layout by Hafsah Cacasi Abedin
