Pinoys dominate poomsae, take gold

NAY PYI TAW – The Philippines dominated the poomsae event again in the Southeast Asian Games but this time, it’s the men’s squad that took the gold with back-to-back champion ladies team settling for bronze yesterday at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium here.

Composed of Djustin and Raphael Mella as well as Vidal Marvin Gabriel, the men’s poomsae squad clinched the gold medal with a total of 7.920 points, beating Indonesia (7.590) and Thailand (7.550).

Gabriel then went on to win the silver medal in the men’s poomsae singles.

In the women’s side, the troika of Janice Lagman, Rani Ortega and Rinna Babanto finished with the bronze with 7.665 points. Powerhouse Vietnam bagged the gold medal with 7.950 points while Thailand took the silver with 7.785 points.

Poomsae coach Jeanne Pierre Sabido admitted that the women’s team is never the same again since winning back-to-back titles in the 2009 Laos SEAG and 2011 Palembang SEAG.

And though the departure of Camille Alarilla is considered a key factor, Sabido said time has started to catch up with the comely pair of Ortega and Lagman.

“Some teams sent their junior squads who are between 16 to 20 years old,” said the 30-year-old Sabido, who skippered the men’s poomsae team four years ago.

“Janice and Rani are already 26 to 30 years old. There’s a big age gap with their rivals at matigas na ang mga buto nila. I think it’s about time for us to start developing young players. This is a perfect moment to form a completely new team,” said Sabido.

He added that the 16-year-old Babanto could be the anchor of the next generation of women’s poomsae artists.

“She’s young and very promising,” he said. “If Rani and Janice will decide that they’ll no longer compete, I guess Rinna can be the guide of our future team.”

On a brighter note, the men’s team – a squad which was formed only two months ago – made heads turn with their crisp moves and impressive synchronization.

“Contrary to the women’s team, our men’s team is such a young team. Actually, they posted a big margin over Indonesia. That’s how dominant they were. They will be a force to reckon with in the years to come.”