Tall and tan and young and pretty. And deadly.

Gretchen Malalad, gold medalist in the +60 kg kumite event of the 22nd Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, in December, is currently the toast of Philippine sports.

It is easy to deduce why: The 24-year old, five-foot-seven Malalad is also beauty queen material, a 2003 Bb. Pilipinas candidate who was adjudged the most talented and most fit over more than 30 candidates.

Shades of trackster Lydia de Vega and swimmers Christine Jacob and Akiko Thomson who took the nation's fancy some years back. But Malalad would be the first to downplay her good looks.

"I would never trade my sports uniform over some glamorous, sequined gowns," says Malalad, an AB Communication Arts graduate of the University of Santo Tomas.  

Busted lips, broken ribs, bloodied face over the ramp and klieg lights?

"A karatedo gold medal is always better than any beauty title," she maintains.

Indeed, the way to a karatedo gold medal is never easy but it is Malalad's world, a sport that she has always been fascinated with even as a young girl in Cainta, Rizal, where she grew up.

During the last SEA Games, her blood-splattered mouth almost prevented her from defending her title but her determination carried her to the win.

Chua Ai Lee, a Swiss-turned Malaysian and a silver medalist in the 2002 World Cup, unleashed a wicked punch that had Malalad "seeing stars" on her way to the canvas.

Add to that a bout with gastro-enteritis a few days before the event and a newly-operated left shoulder blade.

The opponent's punch was declared foul, gaining Malalad a point. Our entry maintained the lead and went on to escape with a 4-3 win.

She remembers seeing Chua earlier in the World Cup, where the latter saw action for Switzerland.

"She's not really a clean fighter but I maintained my composure," Malalad recalls. "I thought of all the hardships I went through - my operation, my training - and they became my rallying points."

It was sweet revenge for Malalad all the way to the finals. Earlier in the tourney, she pounded Vietnam's Nguyen Bao Ngoc, her conqueror in the Busan Asiad. Bao Ngoc settled for the bronze.

Malalad credits the coaching staff and team manager Joe Manansala for the team's winning exploits.

She says she will eternally be grateful to training consultant Romano Guiseppe of Italy, an ex-World Cup champion who did not give up on the team even if they could not afford his services; head coach David Lay; strength and conditioning coach, Bal Ramos; and their physical therapists who helped her recuperate from her laser surgery.

"Mr. Guiseppe has done a lot for our team. Our victories would not have been possible without him," ads Malalad.

Malalad contributed part of the P270,000 assistance she received for the Vietnam meet to pay the salary of Guiseppe, who brought to the Philippine team the European style of karate.

The Philippine Karatedo Federation (PKF) had to release Guiseppe because it could no longer pay his 1,200 euros weekly salary.

"But he kept coming back, even spending his own money just to help us," says Malalad. "It's incredible how dedicated he is to our cause."

Malalad's rise to the big time started in 2001 in the Malaysia SEA Games, where she first won the +60 kg kumite gold.

A bronze medal-performance followed, despite a dislocated shoulder, in the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

It was while recuperating that she decided to join the Bb. Pilipinas pageant, the top winner of which gets to represent the country in the Miss Universe tilt.

She reported for the candidates' interview a week after her cast was removed and eventually learned how to walk and pose like a model and beauty queen.

"I really had a hard time because I move and walk like a man!" Malalad laughingly recalls. "But nevertheless, it was a great experience. Unforgettable."

She may have failed to land a spot in at least the final 15 but she definitely made a good impression. She wowed the judges and the audience with her physical attributes and showed her champion karateka form to bag the Miss Talent award.

Malalad is hoping the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) would be able to raise more funds for their participation in international tournaments, like the February Asian Championships in Taiwan that will determine slots for the Athens Olympics.

Malalad believes the country could win more awards in the sport if only additional support and funding were available.