Taekwondo, boxing, tennis fuel gold rush for PH in SEA Games 2023

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Taekwondo, boxing, and tennis joined hands for one of the Philippines’ most productive days in the Southeast Asian Games here as the country improved to 37 gold medals on Saturday, May 13.

Jins Kirstie Alora, Samuel Morrison, Kurt Barbosa, and Arven Alcantara accounted for four of the six golds the Philippines won on Saturday, turning taekwondo into a gold mine after the poomsae team clinched a pair a day prior.

Morrison topped the men’s -87kg to end his storied SEA Games career that saw him win a total of four golds, while Alora reigned in the women’s -73kg for her fourth gold overall in what could be her final stint in the biennial meet.

Set to receive the leadership cudgels from Morrison and Alora, Barbosa reasserted his mastery in the men’s 54kg for his third straight SEA Games title.

Alcantara, on the other hand, ended years of heartbreak and ruled the men’s -68kg for a breakthrough gold in his fourth SEA Games attempt.

Over in tennis, the duo of Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales capped the deluge of golds that started in the afternoon as they stamped their class in the men’s doubles finals.

Gonzales and Alcantara beat Indonesia’s Christopher Benjamin Rungkat and Nathan Anthony Barki, 2-6, 7-5, 10-5, for the Philippines’ third consecutive crown in the event.

Boxer Ian Clark Bautista clinched the Philippines’ first gold of the day, dominating Indonesia’s Asri Udin in a unanimous decision win that netted him his second men’s 57kg crown in a row.

Bautista proved to be the saving grace on a day Filipino boxers went 1-of-4 in the finals as Rogen Ladon (men’s 51kg), Irish Magno (women’s 54kg), and Riza Pasuit (women’s 63kg) settled for silvers.

Five more boxers will punch for gold on Sunday, with Olympic silver medalists Carlo Paalam (men’s 54kg) and Nesthy Petecio (women’s 57kg) looking to join Bautista at the top of the podium.

Paul Julyfer Bascon (men’s 60kg), Norlan Petecio (men’s 67kg), and John Marvin (men’s 80kg) also see action in the finals on Sunday.

Weightlifting showed promise as all three of its bets in the first day of competitions bagged silvers.

Teenager Angeline Colonia (women’s 45kg), Lovely Inan (women’s 49kg), and John Febuar Ceniza (men’s 61kg) placed second in their respective events a day before Olympian Elreen Ando (women’s 59kg) takes her turn.

Other silvers were won by fencing’s Sammuel Tranquilan (men’s foil individual) and finswimming’s Alexi Cabayaran (women’s 200 bi fins).

Still at sixth place overall, Team Philippines looks to overtake Singapore, which has four more golds, with three days left in this SEA Games. – Rappler.com