Gold hunt dims as jin, golfers falter

GUANGZHOU – Powerhouse China was looking for 183 gold medals to match its achievement in the 1990 Beijing Games. The Philippines was looking for four.

That number seems next to impossible as taekwondo jin Tshomlee Go missed the gold and the men and women golfers all but gave up the chase in team and individual play halfway through the XVI Asian Games last night.

Go gained the country’s fifth bronze medal with an 11-3 win in the quarterfinals of taekwondo, failing to advance to the gold medal round after losing to Lee Dae hon of Korea in a close battle, 5-4, in the semifinals.

Dae Hoon, only on his second year with the Korean team, won the gold medal in another close decision over Tandin Dendup of Bhutan, 10-9.

Miguel Tabuena, who held on to a one-shot lead in the first and second rounds, lost his wondrous touch on the greens of the Dragon Boat Lake golf course, scoring a two-over-par 74 for a three-round total of 210 and trailing Korean Kim Wheen Wee by six shots after the latter put in a remarkable five-under 67 for the day.

The men’s team stood second 19 strokes behind Korea in a tie with Thailand.

The women’s team is way off the pace with 452, 34 behind Korea and 11 behind third-running Japan.

Jin Jeffrey Figueroa also flirted with the medal circle when he edged United Arab Emirates’ Rashed Bilal Khamis, 5-3 in the under 68 kgs class but was credited with more penalties against Tajikistan’s Farkhod Negmatov in 6-6 standoff and failed to advance.

Maria Camille Manalo started on the wrong foot against Dhunyanun Premwhaew of Thailand and lost 2-5 in the under-62 kgs division in ladies taekwondo.

As China awaits its formal crowning as breakaway overall titlist in a week’s time, Rivera and trios teammates Chester King, and bronze medallist Frederick Ong rolled 1900 that was good only for ninth in block one which was dominated by Korea’s 2053. 

The other Filipino threesome-Collins Jose, Benshir Layoso and Raoul Miranda only had 1736.

Two other female trios, including Liza Clutario, Liza del Rosario and Marianne Daisy Posadas and Kimberly Mae Lao, Lara Posadas and Krizziah Lyn Tabora will see action later today seeking to add on to the one gold, one bronze medals already in the bag for RP.

Trap shooter Hagen Topacio, third overnight in the individual race, could not find his mark today with a 41 after a 72 and dropped some 15 notches lower while teammates Eric Ang (65-45) and Jethro Dionisio (67-46) did not make significant progress as the squad moved out of the medal picture completely at fifth in an event won by a Lebanon trio. 

All three Filipinos did not make the top 10 of the individual standing.

In his final race for lightweight single sculls, Benjamin Tolentino (7:16.55) landed seventh overall while fencing’s Walbert Mendoza was third among five after bowing to China’s Wang Jingzhi in individual sabre.

The day was not bereft of positive developments, however, as Cecil Mamiit and Treat Conrad Huey advanced in the second round of tennis singles.

Huey humbled Nepal’s Kumar Adhikari, 6-0, 6-1 while Mamiit fought off Martin Christopher Sayer of Hong Kong, 7-5, 7-5.

The double’s team of Johnny Arcilla and Ruben Gonzales Jr failed to handle the Indian partnership of SK Devvarman and Sanamkrishan Singh, 4-6, 2-6.

On Thursday evening the RP chess squad of Wesley So, Joey Antonio, Darwin Laylo and Eugene Torre tripped Iran 3-1 but lost to China, 1-3, in the second round Friday.

The last Filipino in men’s snooker, Benjamin Guevarra lost 3-4 to Afghan Mohammad Sali Mohammad.

Friday night, the RP basketball squad plays Japan and Delfin Boholst debuts in boxing, where brothers Rey and Victorio Saludar had already advanced to the second round and the RP Blu-Girls face China in softball.