Philippine Sports News and Updates

Marestella Torres’ record-breaking jump bannered Team Philippines’ seven-gold medal haul as the RP bets hope for a strong finish as the 25th Laos Southeast Asian Games comes to a close in Vientiane.

Torres, the reigning Asian Championship queen, provided the giant leap for the Filipinos’ most productive showing for the day, breaking long jump’s 20-year-old SEAG record while lady boxers Annie Albania, Alice Kate Aparri and Josie Gabuco, along with wushu bet Marianne Mariano also rose to the occasion by turning in gold medals in their respective events.

Ageless shooter Nathaniel "Tac" Padilla and old reliable judoka John Baylon were up to the task just like the rest, each pulling off significant victories highlighting a big gold turnout by the Filipinos on the final three days of competitions.

The solid strides suddenly had Team Philippines in contention of surpassing the sixth place finish it earned during the 2007 SEA Games in Nakhonratchasima. The Filipinos won 43 gold medals two years ago, but 22 of those came from events that were not included this year.

With a total of 30 gold medals, the Filipinos finally pulled away from the hosts (24) and had already overtaken Malaysia (29) for fifth place and remain within striking distance of No. 3 Indonesia and fourth-running Singapore, both of which had 32 gold medals.

The battle for overall supremacy has now been reduced between powerhouse Thailand (60 golds) and Vietnam (55).

One gold medal is already in the bag as Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey arranged an all-Filipino showdown for the men’s singles crown in tennis, while others more are in contention in the sports of boxing, wushu, tennis and billiards.

The boxing trio of Gabuco (pinweight), Aparri (light-flyweight) and Albania (flyweight) began the ball rolling by going 3-of-3 in the in the women’s finals.

Albania, the 28-year-old Hanoi Asian Indoor Games gold medalist, carved out the most impressive win with a second round referee-stopped-contest opposite her Indonesian opponent.

The three are already the recipient of a P300,000 cash incentive pledged by Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, and another P300,000 from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) under chairman Harry Angping.

As if the lady boxers’ feat were not enough, Torres even topped their act by establishing a new SEA Games mark behind a 6.68-meter winning jump.

Her leap surpassed the 1989 SEA Games record of 6.52 meters set by former Filipina long jump queen Elma Muros-Posadas in Kuala Lumpur.

Settling for the silver was Thailand’s Thitima Muangjan of Thailand (6.35m) while Indonesian Maria Natalia bagged the bronze (6.23m).

Like Torres, the 44-year-old Baylon enshrined himself in the history of the meet after winning a ninth straight gold in judo through the 81-kg-and-under, beating Watcharin Jampawong of Thailand via ipon.

Good enough too, for the gold medals were Padilla and Mariano.

The 45-year old Padilla averted a second straight SEA Games gold shutout for the shooters by bagging the 25m rapid fire pistol event on his 16th stint in the biennial meet, while wushu came through with a breakthrough gold in the meet, courtesy of Mariano, the 2007 winner, in the sanshou, 56kg event.

The Philippines got another bronze in judo thanks to Gilbert Ramirez in the 66kg division, where he lost in repercharge to Le Duy Hung of Vietnam.

Over at the National University petanque court, the mixed triples team (one woman, two men) of Mary Grace Munar, Aristides Samia and Arnulfo Masumbol could only come up with a bronze.

In other results, the men’s compound team in archery lost to Indonesia 224-231,while 110m hurdles entry Sheila Atilano likewise bowed out in the event with a time of 14.37 behind winner Dedeh Erawati of Indonesia (13.34).

• GMA
• Philippine Sports Central