Foreign-trained bets sustain drive

HANOI, Vietnam (Via GlobeTelecom) — The rigors of overseas training finally spelled victory for a swimmer, two wrestlers, a pair of divers and a gymnast whose feats gave the Philippines something to talk about while the guns in the southern battlefront of Ho Chi Minh fell silent as darkness fell on the fifth day of the 22nd Southeast Asian Games yesterday.

Miguel Mendoza, 21, a management Information Systems student at the University of Georgia, ruled the 1,500m freestyle (15:49.55) with a wide margin over Thai Charnvudth Saengsri (15:56.22) to end the Philippines’ gold medal drought in swimming dating back to the 1997 SEA Games.

A jubilant Mendoza, one of four Filipinos who had trained under American mentors during the last two years, flashed a finger signalling the country’s first gold as he improved on his silver medal finish in Malaysia two years ago.

Melchor Tumasis, 32, who last won the gold in the 1997 Jakarta SEA Games, locked Indonesian Decky Zulkifli into submission to win the 60 kg gold in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Marcus Valda crushed two foes before his clear victory over another Indonesian, Nanang Sibro, in the finals of the 96 kg in Greco-Roman.

The wrestlers were trained for 40 days in Mongolia.

Late Monday night, Roel Ramirez topped the men’s III horse vault following Fil-Am Neil Faustino’s win in the rings to earn gymnastic’s second gold.

At the National Aquatic Center inside the National Sports Complex, Rexel Ryan Fabriga teamed up with Jaime Asok to win the 10m synchronized diving event, another first in the event by the Philippines.

The day’s winners who accounted for five of the six gold medals of the day were the product of training in China, Mongolia and the United States during the last two years. The sixth gold was produced by homegrown talents — Jaime Recio and practical shooters-turned trap shooters Jethro Dionisio and Eric Ang — in the trap event of shooting.

These efforts gave the Philippines a total gold haul of 21, more than half of the projected gold total sports officials promised to bring home before Christmas.

Vietnam pulled away with a 73-32-36 (gold-silver-bronze) haul followed by Thailand with 37-47-49. A spirited battle for third place honors loomed with Indonesia toting a 25-30-33 tally and Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore posting 22-25-26, 21-21-40, 17-19-21 hauls, respectively.

The wrestlers resume their quest for gold, aiming for another three as promised in the Greco-Roman events.

In Ho Chi Minh, the crack taekwondo team, led by World Cup silver medalist Tsomlee Go and unbeaten SEAG champion Roberto Cruz, plunges into action today, hoping to win at least five gold medals to regain overall supremacy in the sport.

The national basketball team, the hands down choice to retain the men’s crown, clobbered Vietnam, 117-53, and notched its second straight game going into today’s match with unpredictable Singapore.

The women’s team all but kissed its title hopes goodbye with a 54-65 loss to Malaysia. In cycling, the women failed miserably with Marita del Rosario emerging the best placed Filipina at 12th in the event won by an Indonesian, a Thai and a Vietnamese.

On Wednesday, it will be the turn of the vaunted group of Victor Espiritu, Arnel Querimit, Enrique Domingo, Warren Davadilla , Rhyan Tanguilig and Merculio Ramos in the men’s 160 km road race to take a shot at cycling’s first gold.