HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY
Two more cage golds are coming up, in the 5x5, which starts tomorrow with the all-pro squad facing Singapore at 8 p.m. at the MOA Arena.
But already here in the Games’ midst is Typhoon Kammuri (Tisoy), which has forced organizers to cancel a number of water sports with more games still to be disrupted in a rainy Day 3 of the 12-day competition featuring the region’s best and the brightest.
They include Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, who finally ended a long quest for a SEAG weightlifting gold after topping the 55kg division, besting Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thuy and Klarisa Juliana of Indonesia, who took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
“I was so nervous, pressured. But I just told myself that I’m doing this for the team, for the country and for God,” said Diaz, who could only dish out a pair of silvers (2011 and 2013) and a bronze (2007) in her previous SEAG campaigns. She lifted a combined 211kg in snatch (91) and the clean-and-jerk (120) at the packed Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“I thank you for coming over and supporting me,” said the Zamboanga City ace in acknowledging the cheers of the crowd the way they backed Carlos Yulo’s gold-medal romp in Monday’s artistic gymnastics all-around event at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
After a bumpy campaign in mountain bike in Laurel, Batangas Sunday where Team Phl settled for one silver and two bronze medals in Cross Country, Denise Belgira and Derick Farr produced two in Downhill category with Farr’s victory giving Team Phl its 25th gold medal, surpassing the 24-gold output of the country in placing sixth in Kuala Lumpur two years ago.
Earlier, Monica Torres, despite far from top form, reigned in women’s duathlon moved a day earlier in anticipation of Kammuri’s onslaught for the country’s first gold in Day 2. She timed two hours, eight minutes and 44 seconds over the 10km run-40km bike-5km run event in Subic, beating Thailand’s Sonsem Pareeya (2:11:18) and Vietnam’s Thi Puong Trinh Nguyen (2:14:20).
Joey delos Reyes, however, fell short of his gold medal drive in the men’s side, settling for silver in 1:53:04 behind gold medal winner Juahrai Johan (1:52:51) of Indonesia. Thai Srinate Nattawut took the bronze in 1:53:05.
A change in schedule and weather condition also didn’t stop the mixed relay team of triathletes and individual champs Kim Mangrobang and John Leerams Chicano from bagging their second gold medals as they teamed up with Jose Fernando Casares and Claire Adorna to top the 300m-swim6.6km bike-1km run event in one hour, 33 minutes and 47 seconds.
Meanwhile, arnis made it a fivegold haul late Monday as Jezebel Morcilla topped the women’s 60kg class although two other Pinays settled for bronze medals, including Mae Busacay (welterweight) and Rai Yalong (lightweight) while Estie Liwanen bagged the gold in the 63kg division of Kurash, bringing to 22 the total number of gold medals won by the Filipino bets in Day One.
After the arnisadors sustained their romp in the second day, courtesy of Elmer Manlapas (featherweight), Carloyd Tejada (welterweight) and Jesfer Huquire (bantamweight), their women counterparts followed suit as Abegail Abad topped the welterweight division, Mae Soriano ruled the featherweight class, Ashley Monville dominated the lightweight section and Sheena Del Monte pocketed the bantamweight gold for that astounding seven-gold feat with four more set to be disputed in the final day of arnis today.
Lawn bowls also chipped in one gold through the men’s pair of Rodel Labayo and Angelo Morales, while Marisa Baronda, Sharon Hauters, Hazel Jagonoy and Rosita Bradborn captured a silver medal in the Fours, together with the men’s Triples squad made of Elmer Abatayo, Hommer Mercado and Christopher Dagpin.
Pencak Silat’s Edmar Tacuel, meanwhile, made the most of his first stint with the national team as he ruled the seni tunggal male category while brothers Alfau Jan and Almohaidib Abad captured the silver in the seni gand male division.