Tankers end stint with two silvers; Yeo makes history

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna–The Philippines capped an impressive performance as it snared two silver medals even as Singapore’s Joscelin Yeo set a date with history yesterday at the close of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games’ swimming competition at the Trace Aquatics Center here.

United States-trained Miguel Molina and Filipino-American James Walsh claimed a silver medal each in their respective division as the Philippines finished the day with two silver medals and a bronze as it improved its medal output in Vietnam two years ago,

The Filipinos had four gold medalso-courtesy of Miguel Molina and Mendoza, five silver and six bronze medals against the country’s 3-6-5 medal count in Vietnam.

"Where we thought we could have two more gold medals tonight (yesterday), we had to settle for two silvers," said swimming chief Mark Joseph.

"But I’m still proud of our swimmers, we fought until the end," he added.

But the day belonged to Yeo, the Singapore’s pool phenom who topped the 50-meter freestyle gold medal to become the most bemedaled athlete in the history of the Games.

Yeo, 25, clinched her sixth gold medal at the P60-million state-of-the-art venue here and 40th overall that surpassed the 39-gold harvest of Patricia Chan, who made the feat in the late 60s and early 70s.

And the eight-time SEAG veteran did it in record-breaking fashion, smashing her six-year-old mark of 26.23.

Another Singaporean, Ho Shu Yong, bagged the silver in 26.61 while Myanmar’s Moe Thu Aung the bronze in 26.66.

RP bets Lizza Danila placed seventh in 27.63 while Heidi Gem Ong third in 28.11.

The 20-year-old Molina, a fourth year International Relations student at University of California in Berkeley, failed on his four-gold medal bid as he settled for the silver in 1:52.83 in the 200-m freestyle where he was the reigning gold medalist.

Malaysian Bego Daniel, 15, ruled the event in 1:52.67 to improve on his silver medal finish and avenge his loss to Molina in Vietnam. Bryan Tay Zhirong of Singapore snatched the bronze in 1:54.39.

Molina had his chances though as he led going into the final 50-meter stretch only to lose steam against Daniel in a photo finish.

Molina, however, is going home happy as he had surpassed his two-gold medal haul in Vietnam while breaching the 200-m freestyle RP record of 1:52.89 he established two years ago also in Hanoi.

Ryan Arabejo, one of the teeners that included Gerard Gabriel Bordado and Denjylie Cordero who made it to the RP squad, finished seventh in 1:58.54.

Walsh also had a silver medal in the 200-m butterfly where he clocked 2:03.23 that reset Eric Buhain’s 18-year-old mark of 2:04.02.

Indonesian Danny Utomo topped the event in 2:02.45 successfully defend his title while Singaporean Gary Tan Lee Yu scooped the bronze in 2:04.82.

Molina and Walsh then teamed up with Evan Grabador and Timmy Chua to rally RP to a bronze medal finish in the 4x100-m medley relay in 3:52.35 that capped the host country’s creditable performance.

Indonesia won the gold in 3:51.15 while Thailand the silver in 3:52.16.

Sharing the limelight with Yeo is another Singaporean and former Chinese National Tao Li, who booked her fourth gold medal with a record-setting victory in the 200-m butterfly.

Tao, 15, timed 2:14.11 to outclass Thai Natnapa Prommuenwai (2:17.29) and compatriot Bernadette Lee Jing Fei (2:18.81) while eclipsing the 2:14.54 record of Thailand’s Praphalsai Minpraphal set in Brunei.

Fil-Am Eric Totten finished fourth in 2:19.76 while Marichi Gandionco, the silver medal winner in Vietnam and national record holder in the event, fifth in 2:21.43.

Thailand’s Nimitta Thaveesupsoonthorn sealed the 400-m individual medley gold in 4:57.92 ahead of Singapore’s Bernadette Lee Fing Fei (5:00.27) and Quah Ting Wen (5:01.57).

Totten placed fifth in 5:05.43 but she erased her own mark of 5:07.76 she registered in the Lumino Nationals in Florida early this year. Luica Dacanay finished sixth in 5:09.54.

At the end of the pool event, Singapore finished on top with a total of 13 gold, nine silver and 11 bronze medals while Thailand finished second with a 6-9-8 haul.

The Philippines was third with 4-5-6, ahead of Indonesia’s 4-5-3, Malaysia’s 4-3-1 and Vietnam’s one gold medal.

Myanmar had a silver and three bronze medals while Cambodia had none.