Philippine Sports News and Updates

VIENTIANE – As gold became rarer and rarer with each passing day, the Philippines got the consolation from the golden efforts of athletics, wrestling, judo and archery as it remained at sixth place heading into the last three days of the 25th Southeast AsIan Games yesterday.

The athletics team of Go Teng Kok accounted for two from the exploits of long-time marathoners Eduardo Buenavista and Jho-Ann Banayag, while Jennifer Chan came back from retirement to claim the gold in the 70m compound event in archery. By dusk, Margarito Argana wrestled for the gold while Nancy Quillotes pinned the fifth in the judo hall.

The five gold medals raised the Philippines medal haul to 23 behind Thailand (51), Vietnam (45), Singapore (37), Malaysia (25) and Indonesia (25).

Argana won over Vietnam’s Ho Quang Hai, 4-0, in the final while Quillotes dumped Vietnam’s Myenjit Wanwisa of Vietnam to capture one of four gold medals in the checklist of the judo squad.

Gold medal prospect and SEAG long jump record holder Henry Dagmil, nursing an injury he sustained during training in the United States, settled for bronze with a 7.72m leap behind compatriot Joebert Delicano’s 7.74 and the 7.83 of Thailand’s Supanara Sukhasvasti.

Newcomer Michael Embuedo failed to win in the 20k walk, finishing only fourth in 1:41:54.00 behind gold medal winner Teoh Boon Lim, (1:31:28.00), Indonesians Indra Abdul Kadir (1:32:09.00) and Kristian Tobing (1:33:35.00).

The country’s second silver for the day came from muay fighter Romnick Pabalate, who lost to Lao’s Thongbang Seukphon in the flyweight class final. Michael Baletin of Greco-Roman wrestling captured the third silver after losing to Dorn Saov of Cambodia via pin in the 60 kg division.

The other bronze medallists were Junmar Aleta, Marbie Avirante and Mark Saavedra, who dropped a 0-2 decision to Vietnam in the men’s regu of sepak takraw, Richard Gonzales, who failed to advance to the final of table tennis singles and Greco Roman wrestler Melchor Tumasis, who bowed to Muhhamad Aliansyah of Indonesia in the 60 kg division.

Three wushu bets who all ended up with bronze medals in sanshou were the injured Rhea May Rifani, who was brought to a local hospital after sustaining a sprained right foot, and Jessie Aligaga and Denver Labador.

Another bronze came from Quillotes and Noemi Candari in the jyu no kata with 452 points behind Thailand’s B. Chuthatip and T. Pitima (469) and Vietnam’s Nguyen Lan Linh and Le Ngoc Van Anh (465).

Earl Benjamin Yap accounted for another bronze in the men’s compound individual, bowing to eventual gold medallist Igustin Nyoman Purihito of Indonesia, 111-113. Purihito beat Chua Boon Rong Adriel of Singapore in the finals, 115-111.

Flyweight boxer Rey Saludar led 4-1 up to the middle of the bout but strangely did not score the rest of the way, losing 4-9 to the host nation’s Xayyaphone Chantasone. Lightwelter Joegin Landon found Vilasak Khouandy also of Laos too hot to handle, 2-8, for the other bronze medal.

Despite the loss, however, there was still reason for hope as Bill Vicera whipped Ven Diaman of Cambodia in their pinweight encounter, 13-2, and featherweight Charly Suarez clipped Wuttichai Masuk of Thailand, 13-5, to both make the final.

At the tennis court, the Filipinos won all four singles matches, dropping only the women’s doubles match.

Denise Dy edged V. Suchanun of Thailand, 2-1, Riza Zalameda blanked Huynh Phuong Trang, Treat Huey eliminated Ariez Elyaas of Malaysia in two sets, and Cecil Mamiit took care of Indonesian Christopher, 2-0, to get past the seminal round. The doubles team of Maricris Fernandez and Anna Patrimonio, however, did not make the quarter cut against Indonesia’s Sandy Gumulya and Jessy Priscila.

In their last quarterfinal round match, Johanna Carpio and Michelle Carolino lost to Yupa Phokongploy and Kulna Kamoltip, 0-2, and so did RP’s men’s team of Junrey Sasing and Rovyl Verayo against Ponetheva Somboun and Nanthsay Latmany of Laos, 1-2. RP failed to land in the medal round in both divisions.

RP shooters remained nowhere in the standings as the trio of Emerito Concepcion, Edwin Fernandez and Eddie Tomas could only wind up fifth in the team standing of 50m rifle 3 position event with a 3322, a far cry from the 3428 of gold medal winner Vietnam. Concepcion was eighth in the individual standing, and Tomas 16th.

As of Tuesday afternoon, RP remained hopeful of a fourth place finish banking on the projected outputs in athletics, judo, wushu, men’s and women’s boxing, archery, muay, wrestling, petanque and lawn tennis.

“We can still come up with surprises,” said Jeff Tamayo, the country’s deputy chef de mission.

RP gold medals had come from taekwondo (4), swimming (4), athletics (5), billiards and snooker (2), golf (2), muay (1), karate-do (1), lawn tennis (1), wrestling (1), judo (1) and archery (1).

• Philstar
• Philippine Sports Central