Phl bags 20th gold, finishes fifth in Para Games

KUALA LUMPUR – Paralympian Josephine Medina delivered Team Philippines its 20th and last gold, good for fifth overall at the close of the ninth ASEAN Para Games at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here yesterday.

Medina, 47, turned back Suwarti of Indonesia, 12-10, 1012, 11-9, 11-9, to cap the Filipinos’ fifth place finish with a total medal tally of 20 gold, 20 silver and 28 bronze medals.

It eclipsed its 16-17-26 output for seventh overall in the 2015 Singapore edition.

Indonesia ran away with the overall title with 126-75-50 followed by host Malaysia 9085-84, Thailand 68-73-94 and Vietnam 40-61-60.

Athletics, earning three golds each from teenage sprint sensation Cielo Honasan and wheelchair-bound thrower Cendy Asusano, emerged the best performing sport with nine golds, five silvers and six bronzes.

Chess, spearheaded by triple-gold medal winner FIDE Master Sander Severino, came through with a 4-3-6 harvest while swimming, behind Ernie Gawilan’s twin victories, snared 3-3-5.

Cyclist Arthus Bucay, tenpin bowler Christopher Yue and Paralympian powerlifter Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta accounted for the other golds.

Cheered on by a pocket Filipino crowd at Hall 8 of the Malaysia International Trade and Exhbition Centre, Medina had all the answers against her Indonesian foe. On match point, she unloaded a soft forehand that sealed the gold.

Suwarti and her coach though protested the lady umpire’s decision on the last point, saying the shot bounced on the board just once, not twice as the latter saw it.

But after conferring with the scorer and a higher official, the decision stuck.

“Her (Suwarti) coach approached me and told me the call was wrong,” said Medina, who gave the country a bronze in the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

It was Medina’s second medal here after teaming up with Minnie de Ramos in the team event of the higher S9-S10 a few days back.

“I was thankful we got a chance to take home a bronze even though I was just classified as S8,” she said.

In the men’s singles semis for SM3, Darwin Salvacion fell to Thai Wittaya Wichaiwattana, 5-11, 8-11, 5-11, to settle for the bronze.

While the country failed on its 27-gold target, Phl chef de mission Ral Rosario said they’re content with the performance.

“I’m proud of the team and we’re happy to have improved on our 16 golds in Singapore,” said Rosario.

“We’re hosting the 10th ASEAN Para Games two years from now and we have to start preparation as soon as we get back,” said Mike Barredo, the Philspada chief and the newly elected president of the Phl Paralympic Committee, Para athletes’ version of the Philippine Olympic Committee.