Eight gold medals on Day One
SWIMMERS Gary Bejino, Ernie Gawilan and Angel Otom bagged gold medals while five other athletes as the 12th Asean Para Games officially started on Sunday in Cambodia.
Bejino topped the men’s 400m freestyle S6 in five minutes, 38.26 seconds a new meet record. The previous record was 6:07.99 set by Aung Myint Myat of Myanmar in 2017.
Gawilan won men’s 400m freestyle S7 in 4:58.78, while Otom ruled the women’s 50m backstroke in 42.63 seconds.
Cendy Asusano won the women’s shot put F54 with a 5.77-meter throw. Powerlifter Marydol Pamati-an won the women’s 41kg division with a 216kg total lift. Pamati-an also takes home a silver medal as she matched the best lift of 75 kg but lost in the tiebreak to Eneng Paridah of Indonesia.
Darry Bernardo topped the individual rapid chess B2B3 and was part of the winning team with Menandro Redor and Israel Peligro. Cheyzer Mendoza topped the women’s individual rapid chess P1.
Anxious wait for SMB, Gilas
JUNE Mar Fajardo has joined halfcourt practices and the San Miguel Beermen are confident their big man would soon get the clearance to play.
The medical assessment is set on June 15. Fajardo hurt his left knee during the EASL Champions Week in March.
San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent hopes the 33-year-old Fajardo would soon be available for the Philippine men’s basketball team, which is preparing for the Fiba Basketball World Cup set to open in August.
“He’s looking good,” said Gallent. “He goes to practice and he shoots around, which is good.”
Kai Sotto update
KAI Sotto, who took part in a Utah Jazz workout, is attending a Dallas Mavericks mini-camp.
Continuing his pursuit of a place in the NBA after being left out of the rookie draft last year, Sotto is training in Los Angeles and will join the Mavs’ two day camp starting on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time).
The 7-foot-3 20-year old center signed a two-year contract with Japan B.League club Hisroshima Dragonflies but can opt out if he is signed by an NBA team.
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