PATTAYA, Thailand – The Philippines has found itself in a neck-and-neck battle with Malaysia in the medal tally of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
The Nationals hauled four gold medals on Saturday including one from swimmer Kayla Sanchez to earn her third in this edition of the biennial meet.
But even with the sweep in their event from skateboarders Mazel Paris Alegado and Jericho Francisco, and the mint from judoka Chino Sy-Tancontian, the Philippines still wound up at sixth place at the end of Day 4 with a 15-23-52 gold-silver-bronze haul.
READ: Mazel Alegado becomes PH's youngest SEA Games gold medalist
Malaysia barely took the fifth spot after Saturday’s action with a 16-15-48 gold-silver-bronze tally.
Host Thailand is way ahead at first place with 95-60-39, with Indonesia in far second with 31-43-36. Vietnam is at third with 30-29-54, followed by Singapore at fourth with 16-15-48.
Sanchez continued to amaze on the pool after she annexed the women’s 100m backstroke with a clocking of one minute, 2.35 seconds.
Showing their supremacy in the region, Alegado, at aged 11, became the SEA Games champion with a score of 79.72 in the women’s extreme skateboarding park final, while Feliciano followed suit in the men’s side by registering 90.68.
Sy-Tancontian provided judo’s first goal by ruling the men’s 100kg class.
READ: Sy-Tancontian claims second SEAG gold in different martial arts
The silvers were from Maxine Bautista in women’s figure skating, Merica Lillyn Chan in the taekwondo women’s 62kg, Kenneth Riley Buenavides in the taekwondo 63kg, John Viron Ferrer in the men’s 81kg in judo, the men’s cricket T20 team, Elizabeth Amador in the women’s skateboarding park, and Yacine Guermali in the men’s 5000m in athletics.
The bronzes on Saturday went to Paolo Borromeo in the men’s figure skating, Ryan Zarchie Garay in the judo -90kg, Ana Bhianca Espenilla in the women’s javelin throw, William Morrison in the men’s shotput, Sonny Wagdos in the men’s 5000m, Joida Gagnao in the women’s 5000m, Zion Rose Nelson in the women’s 200m, and the 4x400m mixed relay of Bernalyn Bejoy, Angel Watsons, Alfred Talplacido, and Alhryann Labita, and Patrick Coo in the men's BMX race.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
