Payla, Marcial target bronze; jins join fray

DOHA — It will be one busy day for the Filipino athletes here Thursday as two boxers gun for at least bronze medals, the jins plunge into taekwondo action, the cue artists strut their wares in 8-ball and 9-ball elims, the men’s and women’s beach volley squads try to stay alive and the rowers seek passage into the medal race in the seventh day of the Asian Games.

Violito Payla battles Jitender Kumar of India for a berth in the semifinals of the flyweight division while Anthony Marcial clashes with Galib Jafarov of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinal round of the featherweight category.

Olympian Donald Geisler anchors the RP team bid in taekwondo as he fights in the lightweight division but it will be finweight Kristie Elaine Alora who will open the country’s campaign at 2 p.m. at the Qatar Sports Club.

Veronica Domingo sees action in women’s lightweight category while John Paul Lizardo competes in men’s finweight in the first four matches of the crack 12-man RP team, tipped to deliver the medals for a struggling Philippine contingent.

Unlike in other sports, however, their opponents will not be known until match time.

But Reynaldo Grandea will have Vietnam’s Duong Anh Vu when he starts his bid in the men’s carom 3 singles in cue sports at the Al-Sadd Multi-Purpose Hall where the likes of Antonio Gabica and Leonardo Andam kick off RP’s gold medal drive in the 8-ball competitions.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey de Luna, who reached the last 16 in the recent World Pool Championships won by Ronnie Alcano in Manila, will be one of the players to watch in 9-ball where Gabica is also entered.

Over at the Sport City, Diane Pascua and Heidi Ilustre hope to draw inspiration from an expected boisterous crowd when they take on Thais Yupa Phokongploy and Usa Tenpaksee, hoping to stave elimination in women’s beach volleyball.

The RP duo has a 2-1 mark and is in a must win situation to remain in the medal race.

So does the pair of Parley Tupaz and Rhovyl Verayo, who will be taking on Mohan Poothathan and John Pradeep of India, eyeing a third win in four games in the men’s side of beach volley.

Over at the West Bay Lagoon, Nilo Cordova and Jose Rodriguez gun for spots in the medal race with the former vying in the men’s lightweight singles sculls Final C and the latter trying his luck in the men’s singles sculls Final B.

Solid finishes by Cordova and Rodriguez will assure them of at least bronze medals.

Pending the result of the men’s trios where RP is eyeing its first gold medal, the bowlers continue their campaign, this time in the team of 5 competitions in both the men’s and women’s divisions.

Action starts at 9 a.m. at the Qatar Bowling Centre.

Others seeing action are IMs Ronald Dableo and Darwin Laylo and Jedara Docena in the second round of mixed team event in chess at the Al Dana Indoor Hall; German Paz (mistral light), Reneric Moreno (mistral heavy) and Ridgely Balladare and Rommel Chavez (470 Race) in sailing at the Doha Sailing Club; Patricio Bernardo, Paul Brian Rosario and Darius Hizon in shooting; and the soft tennis and swimming teams.