HANGZHOU – It was the fourth gold medal Team Philippines secured in the 19th Asian Games late Friday night.
But for Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino, the historic triumph of Gilas Pilipinas in men’s basketball was more than that.
POC chief on Gilas' golden conquest
“It’s worth a thousand golds,” Tolentino proclaimed the morning after the national team reclaimed basketball supremacy in the region behind its rousing 70-60 win over Jordan in the finals at the Hangzhou Olympic Centre.
The POC chief personally watched Gilas end 61 years of waiting for the gold as the last national men’s team to emerge as Asiad champion came in 1962 yet behind a unit backstopped by such luminaries as Caloy Loyzaga, Narciso Bernardo, Roel Nadurata, Kurt Bachmann, among others.
“It’s God’s will, prayers answered,” said Tolentino, who joined the entire Gilas team as it celebrates inside the dugout following the victory against Jordan.
The gold came just hours after jiu-jitsu’s Annie Ramirez delivered the third gold for the country by ruling the women’s 57 kg class.
It was the second gold bagged by jiu-jitsu after Meggie Ochoa in the 48 kg class.
EJ Obiena broke the Asiad Games record in men’s pole vault a week ago to give Team Philippines its breakthrough gold in this edition of the meet.
In all, the country already equaled the gold medal output it had in the 2018 Asiad in Palembang, Indonesia courtesy of Olympians Hidilyn Diaz (weightlifting), Margielyn Didal (skateboarding), Yuka Saso (individual golf), and Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan, and Lois Kaye Go (team golf).
Tolentino, though, views this one as special after basketball, a sport dearest to Filipino fans, brought back home the gold after more than six decades.
“After 61 years, thank you Lord, we proved once again that the Philippines is no. 1 in Asia,” he said.
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