SINGAPORE — Reyland Capellan added to the Philippines' gold medal haul in the Southeast Asian Games by ruling the men’s artistic all-around event at the Expo Sports Hall.
Shrugging off a right shoulder injury, the 5-foot-2 pocket dynamo took the gold medal with a score of 14.733 points, just .167 points better than Singapore’s Hoe Wah Toon (14.566). Vietnam’s Phuoc Hung Pham (14.500) bagged the bronze.
Capellan delivered the country’s first gold medal in men's artistic gymnastics since Roel Ramirez bagged two in the 2005 Philippine SEA Games.
“Masaya po at nanalo po ako sa ating bayan,” said Capellan, 21, a former Central Escolar University cheerleader who finished sixth in the qualifiers three day days ago and had been nursing a shoulder injury since late last year.
Nanjing Youth Olympic Games veteran Ava Verdeflor bagged the silver in the women’s uneven bars by scoring 12.336 points, raising the national gymnastics team medal collection to three counting the women’s team bronze last Sunday.
Capellan will go for a second gold medal when he competes in the men’s vault on Thursday.