Despite defeat, Jenelyn Olsim still proud of ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix opportunity

Bengaluru, November 4: Although she didn't progress, late replacement Jenelyn Olsim is proud to have taken part in the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship.

Not many athletes could have done what Olsim did this past week. First, she stepped in to face Indian Wrestling Champion Ritu "The Indian Tigress" Phogat on short notice as a replacement for Itsuki Hirata.

Then - despite the odds stacked against her - Olsim proved that she was more than capable to take on the wrestling sensation in the ONE Women's Atomweight World GP semifinals at ONE: NEXTGEN last Friday (October 29).

Despite the outcome of the contest not ending in her favor, the Team Lakay star managed to string together a great performance in the grappling and striking department.

"I feel so great, and I'm very happy to be part of this historic moment," Olsim said in the post-bout interview.

"Actually, this is a life-changing bout for me. I have reached this far, and I've given my best in training. Though I lost, it just means that I need to train more and gain more experience."

Despite the defeat, there were more positives for Olsim to take back and improve on. Among them was her ability to sniff out a couple of submission attempts versus the world-class wrestler in the first and second rounds.

She is certain that with a full training camp, she might have just been able to force a victory at the expense of "The Indian Tigress."

"I believe if I was given a longer time to prepare and to train, I could have beaten her. It was quite close," the 24-year-old martial artist said.

"She may have dominated me in wrestling, she may have pinned me down, but I attempted a lot of submissions, and I caught her with my striking."

Things could go differently if they ever cross paths again. The striking specialist has been working alongside ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua "The Passion" Pacio and other former World Champions at Team Lakay to improve her grappling skills.

Though she did not have enough time on her side for this fight, the Filipina should hold her head up high. Simply because not many athletes could have performed the way she did against the #4-ranked atomweight athlete under those circumstances.

"I trained with the champions in the gym, and they taught me a lot. I attempted submissions against Ritu Phogat, but I think I need more strength and conditioning to finish my attempts," she said.

Download the ONE Super App to keep up with all the latest news on the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final between Phogat and Stamp Fairtex.

Source: Media Release