PH kickboxer Saclag assured of SEA Games medal
Filipino kickboxer Jean Claude Saclag assured the country of a medal in the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after winning his quarterfinals match on Sunday in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The Baguio City-native Saclag kicked off his gold medal defense by dominating Souliyavong Latxasak of Laos in the men’s low kick -63.5 kilograms to be assured of at least a bronze medal.
Saclag, a bronze medal winner in the Asian Games in 2014, was the lone bright spot for the Team Philippines as Carlos Alvarez, Jomar Balangui and Kurt Lubrica suffered defeats.
Alvarez lost to Nguyen The Huong of Vietnam, 3-0, in the full contact men’s -67kg., Balangui was defeated by Toch Rachhan of Cambodia, 3-0, in the full contact men’s -57kg., Lubrica bowed to Sungnot Chaiwat of Thailand, 2-1, in the men’s low kick -54kg category.
Kickboxing is one of the first events to kick off competition in the Hanoi Games, with the final day of competitions to be held on May 13, a day after the opening ceremony of the regional showcase.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Azkals Under-23 team fought out a scoreless draw against defending champions Vietnam in the men’s football at the Viet Tri Phu Tho Stadium in Viet Tri.
The outcome allowed the U-23 Azkals to remain in first place in group A with 4 points. The Philippine team opened their SEA Games campaign with a 4-0 beating of Timor Leste on Friday.
The U-23 Azkals will aim to keep their hold on the top spot in the standings as they face Myanmar at five in the afternoon today.
The Philippine beach handball team, meanwhile, snatched its second straight victory at the expense of Singapore, 22-19, 22-16, at Tuan Chau Island in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam.
The win was a fitting followup to the Filipinos’ 18-16, 1816 upset of Thailand, which clinched silver in the 2019 Philippines Games, behind Vietnam, two days ago.
Ariana Drake showed promise in her national team debut, as the 17-year-old FilAmerican from Los Angeles placed fourth in the women’s one-meter springboard./ASC,