RP bags six more golds; Thailand unstoppable

The Philippines won six more gold medals and ripped records here and there but still fell from fifth to sixth place in the face of Indonesia’s charge yesterday on the penultimate day of the third ASEAN Para Games at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Sustaining the momentum of their six-gold splurge in Day 4, the Nationals captured four golds in the centerpiece athletics event courtesy of Cheryl Canta, Ma. Afrecita Rosales, Michael Mora and Delmer Tawatao while Adeline Dumapong added one in power lifting.

Living up to her promise, Dumapong, a 32-year-old Ifugao native, produced the worthiest performance in the day as she shattered her own record of 107.5 kgs she set in the 2003 Hanoi Para Games with a 117.5kg feat.

It was a second straight Para Games gold medal for the wheelchair-bound Dumapong, who was also bronze medallist in the 2000 World Para Games in Sydney, Australia.

Canta, who was mistakenly announced as the shot put winner on opening day, finally nailed a gold medal in Day 5 by winning the javelin gold for double-leg amputees with a heave of 16.95 meters, also a new record.

Incidentally, she bested shot put gold medal winner Tin Tin Khaing (14.42) of Myanmar.

Late in the day, Tawatao won the 4x400m gold also for the intellectually challenged in 4:05.44 to cap the country’s track efforts in this event backed by the PSC, PCSO, DPWH, PLDT-Smart, STI, Pag-ibig, SM, Philpost, Philspada, NBN 4, Manila City, American President Lines, Malayan Isnurance, Pfizer, Inc., Red Ribbon, IBM, Crossover 105.1, Sports Radio, Mattephione and GSIS.

Another paraplegic, Afrecita Rosales, ruled the 800m in three minutes, 1.05 seconds while Mora reigned supreme in shot put for athletes with intellectual disability with a throw of 9.59m.

Late Sunday, paraplegic Maritess Burce ended the day for the hosts with a victory in discus throw with a new Games mark of 7.28m.

At the end of the day, the Filipinos had 18 gold, 32 silver and 25 bronze medals but slid to fifth place as the Indons bounced back from sixth to fourth spot with a 25-16-15 (gold-silver-bronze) medal haul.

Already a cinch for the overall championship, Thailand continued to dominate the Games as it pooled a 103-55-23 (gold-silver-bronze) feat, way ahead of the Vietnamese, who zoomed to No. 2 with a 63-28-18 take. Erstwhile second-running Malaysia slipped to third with 61-29-15.

Myanmar is fifth with 25-11-3 followed by the hosts, Singapore (13-6-6), Brunei (6-5-5), Cambodia (0-2-2) and Laos (0-1-1). Timor Leste has yet to win a medal.

In wheelchair basketball, the Philippines bowed to Thailand as it dropped a sorry 55-59 decision in the gold medal round at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym.