25th SEA GAMES UPDATE: Poomsae fighters gifted RP a gold in the 1st day of action
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 10 Dec 2009
The good-looking trio of Janice Lagman, Rani Ann Ortega and Camille Alarilla handed the Philippines its first gold medal by ruling the team event of new taekwondo discipline poomsae right in the opening day of action in the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos.
Displaying their world-class, synchronized moves that made them the winner of the recent Fourth World Championship, Lagman, Ortega and Alarilla impressed the board of judges in submitting a total 16.97 points out of a perfect 20 to beat their Thai counterparts for the gold medal.
?We are so blessed that we achieved all our goals. First, we won the world championship now, the SEA Games. I guess we have made history,? a jubilant Lagman said before climbing the victory podium.
In winning the world crown two weeks ago IN Cairo, Egypt, the Filipina trio?s skills and grace bested entries from 56 countries.
The Filipinas? high 8.60 points in the second routine landed them the gold medal as their aggregate more than made up for their 8.370point show in the opening routine.
Thais A. Panida, T. Pich-Chapha and Salisa Amnuaychai edged Vietnam?s Chau Tuyet Van, Duong Huynh Mai and Nguyen Thu Ngan for the silver medal on the strength of their 16.94-point aggregate. The Vietnamese was only seven points short at 16.87.
Two critical mistakes by the Philippines? men?s team in the second routine allowed Vietnam to run away with the gold. Vietnam had actually opened the door for the Filipino trio of Anthony Matias, Brian Sabido and Jean Sabido, scoring merely 8.2 in its second routine after a solid 8.73 in the first.
Sabido, who will turn 20 today, however, lost his balance on one foot twice which reduced RP?s score to 8.30 after a strong start of 8.44. The trio eventually finished third while Laos grabbed the silver with a 16.80 (8.50, 8.30).
The Vietnamese made it double courtesy of the mixed pair of Nguyen Dinh Toan and Nguyen Minh Tu who scored a 17.40. Thailand?s D. Hassamard and R. Naravich took silver with 17.16 while the Filipino duo of Sabido and Ortega was a distant third (16.76) for bronze.
Gracious host Laos scored a resounding gold medal triumph when Soukthavy topped the men?s poomsae individual with a 16.63 while the diminutive yet high-kicking Ya MinK-Khine ruled the distaff side with a 1693. RP had no entries in the individual events.
Today Now the veterans take their turn as two-time Olympians Tshomlee Go, Antoinette Rivero and the rest of the RP taekwondo squad take their turn as they go all-out in their bid for redemption in this year?s Games.
Rivero leads the five jins competing for six golds at the start of sparring event at the Booyoung Gymnasium inside the sprawling National University.
The 21-year-old Rivero is entered in her pet event, the 67kg class (welterweight), where she won a silver medal in the 2007 edition of the biennial meet in Thailand.
The Filipino jins only brought home a single gold in the Thailand SEA Games courtesy of Go, with the others having to settle for the silver, including Rivero, as alleged dubious officiating marred many of the gold medal matches.
?We?re hoping for a good share of the officiating this time,? said team manager Rocky Samson.
?But looking at the draw, I can say maganda ang laban natin.
Other than Rivero, also competing Thursday are Marlon Avenido, Alexander Briones, Criselda Roxas and Kirstie Elaine Alora.
Avenido will be fighting in the men?s welterweight (under 80 kg) while Briones is seeing action in the heavyweight class (over 87 kg).
Roxas, an Arts Management student at St. Benilde, is the country?s bet in the under 73 class (middleweight), while Alora, a gold medalist in the 2005 SEA Games, now fights as a heavyweight.
?Lahat tayo may chance for the gold,? said Alora.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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