Wushu fighter lands Philippine’s fifth bronze

JAKARTA – The Philippines’ medal machine ground to a halt for 10 dull hours yesterday before an amazon from the Cordilleras fought her way to the semifinals of wushu sanda (combat) and won a bronze, the Philippine camp’s only medal following the golden success of lifter Hidilyn Diaz after four days of the 15-day 18th Asian Games here yesterday.

Despite the meager bronze medal output, the Philippines fifth against the solitary gold of Diaz in weightlifting, hopes remained high as the rest of the 272-strong athletic contingent revved up their campaigns in other battlefronts.

Wally, cousin of former national wushu bet and now MMA campaigner Eduard Folayang, groped for a way to trim down tall Iranian rival Samiroumi Elaheh Mansoryan but failed, settling for a bronze medal in women sanda’s -52kg event in wushu at the Jakarta International Expo Hall here late last night.

A multi-champ in the world level in -48kg, Wally defied the odds in the higher category in the Asiad until she found herself ranged against Mansoryan.

The University of Cordilleras education student fought a good fight and barely lost, 1-2, to the Iranian who advanced to the gold-medal match versus either Taiwanese Chen Weiting or Chinese Li Yueyao.

Early exits cast a pall of gloom in every corner of Jakarta and far-away Palembang where Filipino athletes, eager to follow up on Diaz’ golden feat, strived to strike for gold only to be  struck out of the list of participants for the next round in five completed sports of the day.

By 9:20 p.m. the Philippines’ medal tally improved slightly  at 1-0-5 (gold-silver-bronze) at 16th while defending champion China gained ground with 37-29-15, Japan second with 20-23-24, Korea third with 10-15-21, Iran fourth (7-3-6) and host Indonesia a strong fifth (6-3-6) and remained the best-performing South East Asian country.

Thailand also swept into the top 10 with 4-2-10 at eighth while Malaysia barely edged the Philippines with a 14th best 1-1-1.

A positive note came from the Blu Girls who sprang back from their 1-11 rout by Japan Tuesday night by repulsing the home squad, 4-0, to boost their medal quest in softball.

A number of bright medal hopes braced for initial action, including 18-year-old gymnast Carlos Yulo who performs in two finals in artistic gymnastics at the Jakarta International Expo Hall today.

Being the top qualifier in the qualifying in his pet event floor exercise on Monday, the two-time Palarong Pambansa champion, who has been further honed up by his three-year training in Japan, is fancied to make history as the first Filipino Asiad gymnastics champ.

Yulo led the field in the qualifying with a score of 14.500, followed by Taipei’s Chia-Hong Tang with 14.450 then Japan’s Kakeru Tanigawa with 14.400.

Meanwhile, Gerald Verosil and Billy Joseph Ang plunge into action in sport climbing and Jetski, respectively. Sports climbing is making its debut in the Games while Jetski is held in the quadrennial regional games only for the second time.

Luis Miguel Castro, Weiwei Go, Lloyd Jefferson Go, Rupert Zaragosa, Lois Kaye Go, Bianca Pagdanganan and Yuka Saso launch the Philippines’ medal quest in golf over at the Pondok Indah golf course.

They’re a crack team considered the best-ever assembled to chase a first Asiad gold for the country since Ramon Brobio’s feat in 1986 in Korea.

The eight-strong boxing team, meanwhile, awaits today the draw that will determine the routes they will go through to make it all the way to the top.

In bowling, Liza Del Rosario, Marie Alexis Sy and Marian Lara Posadas pooled together 1907 points to be at 12th while Maria Lourdes Arles, Rachelle Leon and Dyan Arcel Coronacion combined for 1849 for 16th ranking in the opening block of women’s trios and seventh and 10th.

Lady marksman Amparo Acuna placed 26th in 50m rifle 3-position with a score of 1129.

Jasmine Alkhaldi finished fourth in Heat 3 in women’s 200m freestyle with a time of 2:02.53 to qualify for the finals while Roxanne Yu tumbled out with a fifth-place finish in Heat 3 of women’s 100m backstroke with a clocking of 1:05.10.

Alkhaldi finished eighth and last in the finals with a time of 2:03.24, slower than her clocking in the heats.

In a preview of the Southeast Asian Games the Philippines is hosting next year, it looks like Alkhaldi will be frustrated again in her gold medal campaign right on home turf as two Thais were way ahead of her in the finals of the event.

Jungkrawjang Nathanan was fifth in 2:01.67 while Sapianchai Kornkarnajana was seventh in 2:01.96.        

Taekwondo jins Francis Agojo (-63kg) and Samuel Thomas Morrison (-80kg) won their opening round matches but failed to get past the Round of 16.