Rivera bags gold in world wushu tiff

MANILA, Philippines - Benjie Rivera overwhelmed 2011 silver medalist Hoang Hong Tu of Vietnam to re-claim the gold medal in the 52kg division in the 12th World Wushu Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The wily Rivera, also a Sanda World Cup gold medal winner, relied on his fists and arms to beat Hoang and emerge the lone Filipino gold medalist after Jessie Aligaga fell short of his bid in the 48kg class.

“It was like in 2005. I am very comfortable with my weight and as if I did not grow older,” said the Baguio City-based Rivera, who settled for bronze medals when he moved up to the 56kg category in 2005 and 2011.

But while Rivera prevailed, Aligaga, a gold medalist in the 2011 World Wushu Championship and last year’s champion in the Sanda World Cup, yielded his crown to Song Bu Er of China.

“I am greatly disappointed. There should have been a deciding third round if not for the bad calls of the Vietnamese platform judge, the same one who made bad calls against me in last year’s Asian Wushu Championship finals bout with another Chinese,” rued Aligaga.

The trio of taijiquan bronze medalist Daniel Parantac, 2010 World Junior Championships spear play gold medalist John Keithley Chan, both of Baguio City and Norlence Ardee Catolico of Bacolod City also bagged a silver.

Scoring 9.62 points, the Phl nipped Korea and Hong Kong, which both turned in 9.61 points, for the runner-up honors. Iran had 9.68 in the duilian, choreographed set of movements executed with or without weapons.

With the bronze medals from Jean Claude Saclag of Baguio City and Evita Elise Zamora of Davao City, Team Philippines wound up with one gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

“I am happy with the performance of the team, especially so it achieved the milestone we have been looking forward to. It is with pride that I announce the WFP has gotten its 100th gold medal in major international competitions. Fourteen of these gold medals were won in the World Wushu Championships since 1991,” said Wushu Federation Philippines president Tan She Ling.

Rivera thus became the third Filipino to win two gold medals in the worlds. The first two were Taolu artist Samson Co, now WFP vice president, who won in 1991 and 1993, and sanda fighter Rene Catalan, who reigned in 2003 and 2005.