RP strikes back with 4 golds

VIENTIANE – Arniel Ferrera, the king of hammer throw, and Daniel Coakley, grandson of a pre-war Olympic swimmer, re-established their prominence in the Southeast Asian Games in record-breaking fashions while two other colleagues claimed the other golds as Team Philippines bounced back from an almost-nil performance the other day with four golds yesterday.

Ferrera won the hammer throw for the fifth straight SEA Games, this time inrecord 61.62 meters in another shining moment in a career that he nurtured under his first coach, a priest who died in 2003.

Late last night, Ronnie Alcano, the 2005 world 8-ball champion, and Gandy Valle were playing in an all-Filipino finals in the 8-ball singles, assuring the Philippines of a gold-silver finish and the first in billiards and snooker fronts. 

At the nearby pool of the National Sports Complex, Coakley, great grandson of Teofilo Yldefonso, a 200m breaststroke ace who won the bronze in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, celebrated his 20th birthday in style, breaking his own SEA Games mark in retaining the 50m freestyle title in 22.62 seconds.

Ryan Arabejo added one in the record books with his win in the 1,500m freestyle in 15:37.75 while Rosie Villarito came through with the fourth gold, the second in athletics, in the javelin throw.

The four-day gold harvest of 12, modest by the standards of Thailand (28-37-37), Vietnam (25-22-29), Singapore (21-12-24), Malaysia (20-20-27) and Indonesia (16-18-26) was a big comeback by the Filipinos who almost went zero in gold hunt Saturday until Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey salvaged the only victory by midnight for Team Philippines.

Coakley, whose great grandfather was the first Filipino to win an Olympic medal, reset his own SEA Games mark of 22.80 in the 2007 Thailand Games.

The 30-year-old Villarito’s heave in the javelin throw (49.69 m) didn’t qualify as a meet record, but good enough to snatch the gold over Lo Thi Hang of Vietnam (45.95).

“Just fight and don’t give up,” were the encouraging words sent by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Harry Angping through text message to the RP delegation here.

 Meanwhile, four Filipino muay artists – Jonathan Polosan, Romnick Pabalate,Zaidi Laruan and Rolando Claro – also advanced into the final of their respective events, same with boxer Harry Tanamor, a 12-4 winner over Htet Aung of Myanmar in their semifinals match at the 48 kg. class.

The Filipinos could have added more to their wins but weightlifter Joselito Padilla came up just short in the above-94kg category and the pair of Nino Carog and Zardo Domenios could only manage the silver in synchronized diving.

Another lifter, Renante Briones, had to settle for the bronze in the below-94kg. class. The other bronze medalists of the day were triple jumper Joebert Delicano and 5,000m runner Julius Sermona and muay artist Ana Marie Rey in the bantamweight division.

 In golf, the trio of Chihiro Ikeda, Maria Imelda Piccio and Dottie Ardina rallied from four strokes down and assembled a 285 for a one-stroke lead over overnight leader Thailand and five against Malaysia.

Ikeda remained at second in individual play merely two strokes behind K. Yupaporn of Thailand who had a 138 total after two rounds. Ardina was at sixth with 148 and Piccio’s 151 placed her at ninth in the cast of 20.

The RP men’s team (637) was at third in the penultimate round within striking distance of the gold medal behind Thailand (633), Singapore (634) but in individual play, the highest ranking Filipino-Mark Fernando – is at eighth spot (214) six off Thai S. Wasin (208). Antonio Asistio was 11th with 215 and Jonel Ababa was at 216 for 13th place in a field of 36.