Tankers open Philippine quest

GUANGZHOU, Guangdong, China – Chef de mission Joey Romasanta yesterday exhorted the 188 members of the Philippine contingent to “do their best and enjoy the games” as 22 Filipino bets launched their respective campaigns in eight sports at the start of the XVI Asian Games today in various venues.

“We have completed all preparations, it’s up to them to compete well,” said Romasanta, as the Filipinos, entered in 28 of 42 sports, start their hunt for at least four of the maximum 476 gold medals at stake in the quadrennial meet among 45 countries.

First to plunge into action is swimmer Jasmine Alkhaldi, who will compete in Heat 1 of the 200m freestyle at 9 a.m. at the Aoti Aquatics Center.

Erica Ciril Totten follows five minutes later in the second heat of the same event at 9:05 a.m. Alkhaldi comes back at 9:24 a.m. to compete in Heat 1 of the 100m butterfly.

The finals, to be based on the top 8 clockings, will be held in the evening.

At 10:48 a.m., Ruth Duga-duga, the silver medalist in the 2005 Manila SEA Games and bronze medalist in the 2007 Thailand SEAG, will try to move heaven and earth to subdue 2008 Olympic champion Yang Xiuli of China in the quarterfinal round of the women’s -78kg event in judo at the Huagong Gymnasium.

Xiuli, 27, was grandslam champion from 2008 to 2010, having won the gold in 2008 in Paris and in 2009 and 2010 in Moscow. Last year, she was also the World Cup champion in Vienna and Grand Prix winner in China.

A loss by Duga-duga relegates her to the losers’ bracket where she has to win twice to earn one of the two bronze medals in the event.Fil-Japanese Kenji Yahat, will have an easier assignment in 19-year-old Iranian Mahjoub Javad who has no known winning credentials going into their first round match in the -100kg class at 11:04 a.m.

Fil-Japanese Tomohiko Hoshina, a 23 year-old Tokyo physical education graduate, had the luck of the draw as he took the bye to the semifinal round of the men’s +100kg class where he will fight the winner in the quarterfinal bout between Shynkeyev Y of Kazakhstan and Joshi R of Nepal.

“I would like to win the gold for the land of my mother,” said Hoshina before he completed training at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last week.

At 11:40 a.m. at the Guangzhou velodrome, Apryl Eppinger goes for the gold in the 500m time trial, while John Rene figures in the men’s qualifying round of the men’s individual pursuit at 1 p.m.

Sandy Chua takes onb Chun Kit Chaan, while Jackson Hong faces Kuok U. Long in two separate matches in the first round of the nine-round xianggi competitions at the Guangzhou Chess Institute.

The men’s team of Cecil Mamiit, Conrad Treat Huey, Johnny Arcilla and newcomer Ruben Gonzales Jr. advanced to the second round where they face the winner of the match between Kyrghystan and Turkmenistan at the Dongguan Gymnasium.

The Philippine basketball team winds up the day’s action for the Filipinos when it takes on Kuwait in the first round of basketball competitions at 7:15 p.m. at the Guangti Gymnasium.