ALBANIA STRIKES GOLD IN ASIAN INDOOR GAMES
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 05 Nov 2009
A former javelin thrower who turned into boxing gifted the Philippines its first gold medal in the Third Asian Indoor Games boxing championships yesterday at the Bacninh town in Vietnam.
The 26-year-old Albania, who besides being a former member of the national training pool in athletics also played varsity basketball in her student days at the University of the East, used her swift side-by-side movement to the hilt in outclassing wily Thai opponent Sopida Satumrum from the second round on in their bantamweight finals encounter on the way to a lopsided 12-4 victory.
Held to ax 0-0 standoff after the first round, Albania from Banga, South Cotabato and the lone gold medalist in the sweet science sport in the 2007 Thailand Southeast Asian Games, proved the more accurate in connecting with almost at will in the next sessions even luring Satumrum to resort to leaning and other dirty tactics in the fourth.
The referee awarded Albania a two-point bonus after Satumrum pushed her down in an effort to disarm the Filipina, a silver medalist in the last world championship held in China.
Teammate Mitchel Martinez was not as lucky though losing to Ching Dong of China, 3-18, in their light-welterweight finale.
Dong’s victory was her second against Martinez, the first Filipina o have won an Asiaxn boxing chaxmpionship, whom she also beat in the quarterfinal round of the 2008 world chamapionships in Nimbo, China.
”Masaya, napakasaya at nakapagbigay na naman ako ng karangalan sa bansa,” the pint-sized Albania told GAZETTE in a telephone interview after his gold medal triumph. “Alay ko ang tagumpay jkong ito sax ating mga kababayan. “
Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines executive director Ed Picson said Albania’s gold medal win and Martinez’s silver medal finish are just a start reaping the products of a renewed program being implemented by his association, headed by president Ricky Vargas and chair Manny V. Pangilinan.
“Maganda ang nagging scouting na ginawa n gating mga coaches (Boy Catolico and assistant Roel Velasco), Kumpletong-kumpleto. Sayang nga lamang at hindi sinuwerte si Mitchel at ang tatlo pang dinala natin ditto. But still our stint here augurs wells to our preparations for the coming SEA Games,” Picson said.
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