Sanshou bet snares RP third silver

HANOI – The Philippines picked up another silver in sanshou and two bronze medals in muay to improve on its previous stints in the Asian Indoor Games here yesterday.

Rhea May Rifani won the country’s third silver medal in the women’s 52-kg sanshou event while muay artists Zaidi Laruan and Jay Harold Gregorio took the bronze medals in the lightweight and welterweight class as the Philippines posted a one-gold, three-silver and five-bronze medals in this third staging of the Asian meet.

Rifani bowed to 20-year-old Chinese rival Gong Jinlan, 0-2, at the close of the sanshou event at the Trinh Hoai Duc gymnasium.

“No excuses, I loss to a better fighter,” said the 24-year-old Benguet native Rifani who was wrestled down four times in the two-round encounter.

With a 1-3-5 medal tally, the country bettered its 1-2-3 medal effort in Macau, and is currently ranked 19th among 30 countries in the overall standings.