MANILA, Philippines — World pool champion Carlo Biado closed in on the country’s second medal in The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama on a day other Philippine bets suffered heartbreak after heartbreak.
Going all out to replicate his golden feat in the last edition in Wroclaw, Poland five years ago, Biado humbled two-time world titlist Albin Ouschan of Austria, 11-7, yesterday to barge into the men’s 9-ball semis and closer to a medal finish.
The reigning US Open 8-Ball champion set up a semis duel with German Joshua Filler, who routed American Shane Van Boening, 11-3, today with the winner ensuring himself of a place in the gold medal round the same day.
Biado hopes to hand the country its second gold medal after Fil-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii delivered one a few days ago.
“We will aim for the gold,” Philippine chef-de-mission Patrick Gregorio told The STAR.
Biado’s triumph momentarily soothed the pain suffered by his countrymen in different fronts following stinging defeats by fellow cue artist Rubilen Amit, muay’s Philip Delarmino and Leeana Christylle Bade and jui-jitsu’s Annie Ramirez.
Amit, a Hanoi Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist, fell to Germany’s Veronika Ivanskaia via the closest of margins, 9-8, in their quarters duel and was eliminated.
Delarmino, also a world champion, succumbed to Ukrainian Vladislav Mykytas, 30-28, in the men’s -57-kilogram while Bade was eliminated via a hairline, 29-28, by Thai Janejira Wankrue in the women’s -63.5kg.
Ramirez, for her part, absorbed the most painful fate as she came close to a medal in the women’s 57kg Ne Waza only to end up at fourth.
The Hanoi Southeast Asian Games gold winner could have ensured herself of at least a silver if she had won over Kazakhstan’s Danila Duvanova but lost, 2-2, after the latter ended up with more advantage points.
Ramirez went for the bronze against Laurence Fouillat of France, the same fighter the latter defeated in the group stages, 3-0, only to lose, 14-0, in their rematch.