Jury reverses Gamo win; tankers, netters clinch bronze

HYDERABAD, India –The gritty bunch of junior swimmers splashed its way to another unexpected bronze medal performance in a feat that more than made up for a rare reversal of a controversial won bout by bantam Ferdie Gamo outside the ring that highlighted the Philippines’ campaign in the first Afro-Asian Games here Tuesday.

Liane Marice Marquez anchored the RP team’s third place finish in the 4x100m medley relay for women ruled by Africa two days after the 14-year-old gem of a find from Lucena bagged a surprise silver in the 50m backstroke. The team, which included Aphrodite Magbanua, Marinela Arabejo and Nicole Santiago, was timed 4:48.13 with Africa running away with the gold in 4:24.68 and India placing second in 4:37.51.

Despite the discrepancy in time, the third-place effort spoke well of the caliber of these junior swimmers, standouts in the recent SEA age-group championships in San Pablo City, who are competing here just for exposure without any help from the government.

It also came at a time when the RP boxing team suffered an unexpected setback from an otherwise won bout when the boxing jury upheld a protest by the Algerian contingent challenging the 2-1 verdict against its boxer Bouziane Malik in his bantam clash with Gamo.

The jury went through the tapes Tuesday afternoon and reviewed the bout punch-by-punch and frame-by-frame before coming up with a consensus in favor of Malik, winner of the event in the recent All-African Games.

"We reviewed the tape and again did the scoring which turned out to be 5-4 in favor of Blue (Malik), a mere blow separating him from the Filipino. The decision now stands reversed," said jury chair and AIBA vice president Uganda’s Francis Nyangweso.

"Di na namin hinabol at baka maipit pa ung ibang bata natin," RP team coach Pat Gaspi said in jest. "Pero siempre, mabigat ang loob ni Ferdie dahil alam niyang siya ang panalo."

The reversal left lightfly Harry Tanamor and flyweight Violito Payla as the country’s best bets for gold medal with lightweight Roel Laguna hoping to snatch a victory over an Asian Games gold medalist rival. The three boxers, whose stint here is backed by Revicon, Accel, Pacific Heights and the Philippine Sports Commission, are gunning for championship berths at presstime.

The swimmers’ feat hiked the Philippines’ gold-silver-bronze output to 0-1-4 after four days of action here although the country was assured of another three bronze medals courtesy of the netters, who are honing up for the SEA Games in Vietnam in December.

Czarina Arevalo, whose partnership with Patricia Santos earlier gave the Philippines a bronze in the team event, outlasted Indon Septi Mende, 6-1, 6-7, 7-5, to barge into the semifinal round of the ladies’ singles although Joseph Victorino failed to match that effort when he lost to Nigerian Sunday Maku, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).

The mixed doubles teams of Johnny Arcilla and Santos and Adelo Abadia and Arevalo likewise moved into the semis with the former battling from a set down to repulse the Nigerian duo of Rotimi Jegede and Osaro Amadin, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; and the latter defeating Maku and Udofa Clatra, also of Nigeria, 7-6, 6-4.