The Philippines finally ended a three-day medal drought in the biggest Asian Games ever when five individual athletes in taekwondo and karatedo took the bronze in their respective divisions Friday.
Tshomlee Go, Daleen Cordero and Veronica Domingo all delivered in taekwondo while Gretchen Malalad and Cherli Tugday climbed the winners’ podium in karatedo and helped keep the engine running for the Philippines.
The five bronze medals that came on a cold, cloudy day were not exactly what the Filipinos had hoped for, but were nonetheless a welcome addition to the RP chest that includes two gold, three silver and six bronze medals.
The RP medal drought began after Francisco "Django" Bustamante and Antonio Lining won the gold in 9-ball doubles, and the women’s team of five won the silver in bowling last Monday.
With a 2-3-11 medal haul going into the last three days of action, the Philippines is already bound to improve on its 1-5-12 harvest four years ago in Bangkok.
"We cannot lessen the impact of these five bronze medals because our athletes gave it their best," said Philippine Sports Commission chairman Eric Buhain, who burned rubber in shuttling to and from the equestrian, taekwondo, wushu and karatedo venues where Filipino athletes competed Friday.
"Kitang-kita ko na our athletes were trying their best kahit na gaanong kahirap ang laban. Gretchen’s shoulder even popped during her last bout. Mahirap talaga. But I’m very, very proud of them," Buhain added.
The Philippines was also assured of at least three more bronze medals in wushu’s sanshou event courtesy of Marvin Sicomen (52 kg), Rexel Nganhayna (56 kg) and Edward Folayang (65 kg), and another one in taekwondo through middleweight Sally Solis.
The equestrian team made up of Sydney Olympian Toni Leviste and the Cojuangcos — Mikee, Michelle (Barrera), Danielle and Paola — was running fourth in the team event of showjumping competition. Another good showing Saturday will bring them into the final round on Monday.
Go clinched the flyweight bronze with a 3-0 win over Chinese-Taipei’s Huang Ching Feng and failed to advance into the finals when he lost to South Korea’s Kim Dae Rung, 6-1. Domingo lost her first match to another South Korean in Kim Su Uk, 15-2 (RSC), but took the bronze as well due to lack of entries in the welterweight class.
The most dramatic win was Cordero’s since she had to climb back from a 1-3 deficit in the final round and tie the count at 3-3 with a front kick and a side kick heading into the final minute. Both fighters failed to connect the rest of the way but Cordero won over Vietnam’s Thi Nguyen for being the more aggressive fighter.
After the Korean referee declared her the winner, she shook the hands of her opponent and, crying, jumped into the arms of coach Jobet Morales. She lost to Korea’s Lin Su Jung, 3-0, in the semis of the flyweight class.
Welterweight Donald Geisler, a Sydney Olympian, lost in the second round to Iran’s Majid Aflakikhamseh, 11-7.
Tugday won the bronze in the kata individual while Malalad made it in the 60kg kumite.
Still in contention in wushu were Bobby Co (tajiquan), Janice Hung (changquan) and Lili So (nanquan).