10 gold medal haul on May 16 alone, four in dancesports, two in gymnastics
(Eagle News) – Philippine athletes participating at the 31st Southeast Asian Games bagged a total of 30 gold medals so far, retaining the country at third place in the overall medal tally.
The games being held in Vietnam proved to be another sports event where Filipinos excelled after the Philippines got not only 30 golds, but 34 silver medals and 45 bronze medals as of Monday, May 16.
On Monday alone, Filipino athletes won 10 gold medals – four in dance sports, two in gymnastics, and one gold each in bowling, athletics, taekwondo and swimming.
Filipino dancing pair Ana Nualla and Sean Aranar won three of the four golds in dance sports on Monday, May 16, for standard tango, standard Vietnamese waltz, and standard all five dances.
Another Filipino dancing pair bagged a gold in standard slow fox trot – Mary Joy Renigen and Mark Jayson Gayon.
Filipino wonder gymnast Carlos Yulo also got two gold medals in gymnastics that day, in men’s artistic vault and men’s artistic horizontal bar.
He bagged five gold medals in all, having won the men’s artistic rings category, and the artistic floor exercises, on Sunday, May 15, and the men’s artistic all around on Friday, May 13.
Swimmer Chloe Isleta, taekwondo athlete Jocel Ninobla, Clinton Kingsley Bautista of athletics (men’s 110m hurdles), and bowler Merwin Tan also won gold on Monday, May 16, completing the Philippines 10-medal haul that day.
On Sunday, May 15, the country got eight gold medals: two in wushu (Agatha Wong and Arnel Mandal); three in gymnastics ( two gold by Carlos Yulo, and 1 gold by Aleah Finnegan); and one each in duathlon (Kim Mangrobang), dancesports (by pair Stephanie Sabalo and Michael Angelo Marquez), and athletics (mens shot put by William Morrison).
On Friday, May 14, Filipino athletes got 7 gold medals – two in triathlon (Fernando Casares and Kim Mangrobang); two in jujitsu (Margarita Ochoa and Annie Ramirez; and one gold medal each in pole vault (EJ Obiena), fencing (Samantha Kyle Catantan, and gymnastics via the women’s artistic team.
The Philippines also won four golds on Thursday, May 13 – two in kickboxing (Jean Claude Saclag and Gina Iniong-Araos), one on gymnastics (Carlos Yulo), and one in kurash (Jack Escarpe).
On May 11, Wednesday, the country got its first gold via Pencak silat (women’s single) with a win by Francine Padios.
The games will officially end on May 23.
So far, Vietnam leads the Southeast Asian countries with 88 gold medals, followed by Thailand with 36 gold medals.
Third is the Philippines with 30 gold medals.
(Eagle News Service)
