AMIT IN 9-BALL QUARTERFINALS
JUST like Carlo Biado the day before, multi-world champion Rubilen Amit advanced to the women’s 9-ball quarterfinals of billiards following a 9-8 victory over Pia Filler of Germany in the World Games on Friday at the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom in Birmingham, Alabama.
And just like Biado, Amit had to recover from a shaky start and frustrate her German opponent in a tightly-contested match.
The 40-year-old pool sensation from Mandaue City trailed 6-8 after the 14th rack but cleaned up the remaining three racks to nail the win and follow Carlo Biado in Saturday’s quarterfinals of the games that feature widely-played sports that aren’t on the Olympic program. She will face another German, Veronika Ivanovskaia, who advanced after beating Bernarda Ayala of Argentina, 9-1.
Biado scored an 11-10 sqeaker over Poland’s Wiktor Zielinski last Wednesday and will face Austrian Albin Ouschan in the men’s 9-ball quarterfinals.
Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Philip Delarmino and Leeana Bade, meanwhile, start their campaigns in muaythai also on Saturday at the Boutwell Auditorium, according to their trainer and Coach Billy Alumno.
Delarmino faces Ukrainian Vladyslav Mykytas in the men’s elite 57 kgs class quarterfinals while Bade meets Janejira Wankrue in the women’s elite 63.5 kgs quarterfinal round.
Jiu-jitsu champion Annie Ramirez also begins her World Games bid on Saturday when she squares off with Frenchwoman Fouillat Laurence and American Matan Ashley in women’s 57 kgs Ne-waza event.
Kim Mangrobang, a double old winner in last May’s Vietnam SEA Games—will plunge into action on Sunday in women’s duathlon, the same day her fellow SEA Games triathlon gold medalist Fernando Casares and John Chicano compete in the men’s contest at the Railroad Park in Birmingham.
Junna Tsukii won gold in women’s karate for the country’s medal so far in the games.