SINGAPORE – The Philippines moved on the verge of matching the country’s medal output in Myanmar two years ago following a timely gold-medal haul of four on Sunday in the 28th Southeast Asian Games.
The tennis pair of Treat Huey and Denise Dy, the men’s male match racing keelbo sailing team, and taekwondo jins Pauline Lopez and Samuel Morrison delivered golden performances that could save the Philippines from a new low in this biennial showcase.
The much-needed boost raised the Filipino athletes' output to 28 gold, 35 silver and 64 bronze medals, putting them in a position to at least match their 29-gold haul in 2013 in Myanmar with the Gilas basketball team in the finals following a pulsating 80-75 win over Thailand.
The output, however, is still well below projections of top sports officials who had raised hopes of winning anywhere from 40 to 60 gold medals in these Games.
The Gilas Pilipinas cadets got big games from Troy Rosario and Almond Vosotros to reach the gold-medal match against Indonesia to be played in the final day of competitions on Monday, 8 p.m. at the OCBC Arena.
Huey and Dy outlasted Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and Sonchat Ratiwatana, 7-6, 6-4, to rule the mixed doubles final to end a gold medal drought that extended from Saturday.
Ridgely Balladares, Rommel Chavez, and Richly Magsanay then beat Singapore to take sailing’s lone gold in the SEA Games in the male match racing keelboat event. Later in the day, Lopez and Morrison won their respective final bouts over Vietnamese opponents.
Archer Amaya Paz-Cojuangco settled for a silver medal in the women’s individual compound while Nestor Cordova placed second in men’s single sculls 1,000m in rowing.
Following her gold in the mixed doubles, Dy failed to make it a double as she and Katharina Lenhert lost in their women’s doubles match to Thailand.
In archery, Paz-Cojuangco also got two bronze medals in the women’s team compound with Jennifer Chan and Joann Tabanag, and in the mixed team compound with Earl Benjamin Yap, who also got a bronze in the men’s team compound with Paul Marton Dela Cruz and Delfin Adriano.
Edgar Ilas and Benjamin Tolentino also got a bronze in rowing men’s lightweight double 1,000m.
The mixed wakeboarding team of Mark Howell Griffin, Angelo Linao, and Maiquel Selga also took the bronze.
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