Chessers nail 4 golds in Para Games

MANILA, Philippines — The fantastic Filipino wood pushers delivered as promised, hauling four gold medals in the standard event including two each by Sander Severino and Menandro Redor even as rookie tanker Ariel Joseph Alegarbes splashed his way to a couple of mints on a glorious day in the ASEAN Para Games in Solo, Indonesia.

Severino bested countryman Henry Lopez in the sixth and final round to claim the individual P1 mint as well as the team gold with the latter and Jasper Rom. Redor trounced Vietnam’s Duong Hien Vuong to claim the individual gold and complete a Philippine 1-2-3 finish in the B2-B3 class with Arman Subaste getting the silver and Darry Bernardo the gold.

Redor, Subaste and Bernardo also ran away with the team gold to make it an amazing four-mint harvest in chess alone.

And more are expected to come as Severino and the inspired Filipino chessers are competing in rapid and blitz where they are favored to win in the coming days.

Also delivering golden performances on the same day were another neophyte runner in King James Reyes in the men’s 5000m T46 and grizzled veteran thrower in Jesebel Tordecilla in the women’s javelin F55.

At press time, the country had already amassed eight golds yesterday to add to the five harvested the day before.

Alegarbes made big waves at the Jatidiri Sports Complex where he snared the 100-meter backstroke and the 50m butterfly S14 golds in record-breaking feats.

With his father Abner cheering from the stands, the 18-year-old native of Victoria in Negros Oriental saved his best for last and unleashed a strong push in the final 10m-stretch to edge Malaysian Muhammad Imaan Aiman by clocking a minute and 3.01 seconds against the latter’s 1:03.20.

Barely rested, Abner plunged back to the pool and topped the 50m butterfly in 26.42 seconds to emerge the first Filipino double-gold winner.