5 golds keep Pinoys in step

Sarno leads charge as SEAG nears end

PHNOM PENH – A bright young weightlifter considered as Hidilyn Diaz’ successor, a 44-year-old super sub in wrestling, a pair of arnisadores and a bemedaled kickboxer provided the jolt for Team Philippines’ five-gold quarry in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games yesterday.

Vanessa Sarno, 19, overpowered her challengers and lifted a new SEAG snatch record of 105 kgs that went with 125 kgs in clean and jerk for a winning 225 kgs total and back-to-back women’s 71kg class gold.

Defying Father Time, wrestling old guard Cristina Villanueva-Vergara outclassed her younger opposition in the women’s 65kg competitions to bask in glory 18 years after her last triumph at home back in 2005.

Villanueva-Vergara, one of the coaches of the women’s team, stepped in after one of her charges sustained an injury. Her happiness doubled up as her 19-year-old daughter Cathlyn pocketed a bronze in the 59kg play.

Bantamweights Dexler Bolambao and Maria Ella Alcoseba swept the men’s and women’s full contact live stick events while kickboxing’s Jean Claude Saclag scored a three-peat in the men’s low kick -63.5kg event to make it five for the day for Team Philippines – four less than the nine-gold sizzler last Sunday.

Together with five silvers and 14 bronzes, the 840-strong delegation backed by the PSC and POC collected 51 golds, 75 silvers and 102 bronzes as of 9 p.m. (Manila time).

As the clock winds down in the Games, the Filipinos ranked fifth behind Vietnam (122-100-97), Thailand (94-76-93), Indonesia (74-66-92) and host Cambodia (70-68-113). They enjoy a six-gold edge against sixth-running Singapore (45-38-57) going to the final day of hostilities.

Redemption-seeking Gilas Pilipinas has a chance to add the one gold that mattered most to Filipinos – men’s basketball – in a grudge finals match with group-play conqueror Cambodia today.

The Nationals got back at 2021 winner Indonesia in last night’s semis, 84-76, to reach the championship against the naturalized players-laden Cambodia, which advanced via a 76-66 win over Thailand.

Gilas lost to the hosts in their first meeting, 68-79, and will be looking for revenge, too.

Sarno pulled through and delivered the opening salvo in the SEAG’s penultimate day despite nursing a tightened knee from two tournaments in a week apart.

“Masaya ako na maayos pa rin ang performance ko kasi kalalaro ko lang sa Asian Championships sa Korea six days ago,” said the pride of Bohol.

Her performance was more than fine as she left her opponents eating her dust.

Sarno reset her own SEAG snatch mark of 104kg by one kilo and had a 10kg lead right away. She hoisted 125 kgs on first try in the clean and jerk and passed up on more attempts with her 225kg aggregate way beyond the reach of Thailand’s Thipwara Chontavin (208 kgs) and Indonesia’s Restu Anggi (206 kgs).

“Hindi na namin hinabol ‘yung record ko (239 kgs). Sumakit na ang tuhod ko after ‘nung sa Korea kaya gold na lang talaga ang kinuha namin,” she said.

Sarno’s triumph followed the record-shattering feat of Elreen Ando in the women’s 59kg division the other day.

Villanueva-Vergara stamped her class on Laos’ Sopha Thammavy, 5-0, and Cambodia’s Sambat Vanak, 4-1, to top the round-robin play with 25 points.

“Hindi ko maipaliwanag ang emotion ko kasi hindi ko inaasahan ito as replacement. May pressure din kasi inaasahan ako ng teammates being the veteran of the team,” said Villanueva-Vergara, SEAG winner in 2003 and 2005 and bronze in 2007.

Saclag continued the streak that he started in Manila in 2019 by disposing of home bet San Rakim in the finale, 3-0.