MANILA – Ilongga Maria Lucy U. Muralla showed that it is never too late to excel in sports. She notched three gold medals in the Philippine Idol – National Battle of Arnisadors – Battle of Champions held recently.
The 52-year-old Muralla, who is an arnis martial arts blackbelter, captured gold medals in the Above 40 female Largo Strike (1 meter), Traditional Anyo Double-Bladed Weapon and Continuous Strike (Redonda) categories.
“I am happy that, at my age of 52, I can still compete and capture gold medals in National Arnis Martial Arts Championships,” Muralla said in an interview with Panay News.
“I was told that, here in the Philippines, I am the most senior arnisador to join the national tournament and to achieve a gold medal is a feat. Even my coaches are saying that this is a rare achievement and we were surprised that I can still move very fast and even do the perfect split stance at my age,” she added.
This was actually the second arnis tournament this year that Muralla has won gold medals after also netting two first place finishes in the National Arnis Martial Arts Competition in Angeles City, Pampanga in April.
Muralla, who also works as Regional Labor and Employment Officer in the Department of Labor and Employment – Region 6, shared that she was a late bloomer in the sport and, in fact, playing arnis was not part of her plans until necessity calls it.
“I started to play arnis at the age of 40. It was due to family squabbles that lead to death threats that made me enter into martial arts. I need to learn some self-defense and arnis came across me,” Muralla said.
“My coaches GM Melecio Balberde and Nilo Sara then were saying that I might give up along the way since this is not an easy sport to learn. But slowly, I started to learn to love the Arnis-Eskrima-Kali sport and, all of the sudden, I was joining competitions,” she added.
“When others see me, they never imagined that I am into martial arts. I do not look like a fighter. But the moment I hold my stick and double blade, I become a different person,” added Muralla, who has been competing for a decade now.
With her current successes in the sport, Muralla hopes to inspire all generations to also try Arnis Martial Arts as a form of hobby and also self- defense. She also shared that aside from a disciplined lifestyle, her knowledge in Pranic Healing Technology has helped her to stay strong and to look young as she ages.
“My goal is to inspire women that no matter what stage of life and career they belong to. It is never too late for them and they are never too young nor too old to follow their dreams and make their dreams a reality,” Muralla said./PN
