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STILL IMPRESSIVE
The RP Asian Games experience
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Cojuangco-Jaworski
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THERE WAS THE PROMISE of four to 10 gold medals prior to
the Busan Asiad. The Philippine Team fell short by procuring
only three gold medals, seven silvers and 16 bronzes. But
this is still a marked improvement from Bangkok four years
ago, where the country only won a solitary gold. This is the
Philippines best showing since 1986. I couldn't recall 1986
but the images of the sub-par Asian Games 1990 in Beijing,
1994 in Hiroshima and 1998 in Bangkok are still vivid in my
memory.
This time around there were the heroic efforts of our gold
medalists - Django Bustamante and Antonio Lining in 9-ball
doubles in billiards; Paeng Nepomuceno and RJ Bautista in
men's doubles in bowling; and the always resplendent Mikee
Cojuangco-Jaworski in invidual show jumping in equestrian.
The silver medalists are the following - Warren Kiamco in
9-ball singles in billiards; CJ Suarez, Chester King and Botchok
Rey in men's trios in bowling; Liza Del Rosario, Irene Benitez,
Liza Clutario, Jojo Canare and Cecilia Yap in ladies' five-players
team in bowling; Harry Tanamor in the light flyweight division
in boxing; Marvin Sicomen in men's san shou 52kg in wushu;
Rexel Nganhayna in men's san shou 56kg in wushu; and the team
of Danielle Cojuangco, Mikee Jaworski, Toni Leviste and Michelle
Barrera in team's show jumping in equestrian.
The bronze medalists are as follows - Efren Reyes in 8-ball
singles in billiards; Liza Clutario in women's singles in
bowling; Gretchen Malalad in women's kumite-60kg in karatedo;
Cherli Tugday in women's individual kata in karatedo; Alvin
Amposta and Nestor Cordova in men's light weight double sculls
in rowing; Jethro Dionisio in trap men in shooting; Eric Ang,
Jamie Recio and Jethro Dionisio in trap men team in shooting;
Tshomlee Go in men's flyweight in taekwondo; Dindo Simpao
in men's middle weight in taekwondo; Daleen Cordero in women's
fly weight in taekwondo; Veronica Domingo in women's welterweight
in taekwondo; Sally Solis in women's middle weight in taekwondo;
Edouard Folayang in men's san shou 65kg in wushu; Arvin Ting
in men's changquan three-events combined in wushu; Bobby Co
in men's tajiquan two events combined in wushu and the team
of Carmelette Villaroman and two others in women's team in
golf.
Despite the three-pointer of Lee Sang Min in the game against
Korea, the men's basketball team deserved commendation. The
silver was within grasp, it would have been a mammoth upset
but it wasn't meant to be. Korea won over China in the finals,
surprisingly. If all the egos were polished, all the chinks
ironed out, our brand of basketball is at par with the best
of Asia - notably China and Korea. But it's always the selection
process that prevails and the injuries to top players. Look
what happened to the US Team at the recent World Basketball
championships, they were too complacent, bringing over second-stringers
and coach George Karl, offering no apologies for the embarrassment.
Our favorite, Efren Reyes, absorbed a close loss, 7-9 against
an always dangerous Taiwanese, Hsia Huia Kuia, before salvaging
a bronze against Singaporean Tan Tiong Boon in the 8-ball
competition. Bata also bowed out in the quarterfinals of the
carom 3-cushion, they say a sport he hasn't played in two
decades. There's still this lingering question of his non-entry
in the 9-ball singles and all the other events he wanted.
Surely, Bata Reyes is Bata Reyes. Django Bustamante could
also have been a shoo-in in the 9-ball singles but he was
also benched in that event but together with Nikoy Lining,
he gave his countrymen so much to cheer for in the 9-ball
doubles against hometown boys, Koreans Jeong Yong-hwa and
Kim Won-suk, 11-9. To think that Django wasn't even originally
in the list of Asian Games participants.
Paeng Nepomuceno has won everything there is to win in bowling.
He is the most decorated bowler in the world. But he has never
won a gold medal in the Asian games before. He was in Hiroshima
in '94 and Bangkok in '98 but his best showing before Busan
was a silver in the team of five in Hiroshima in 1994 with
Paolo Valdez, Rene Reyes, Angelo Constantino and Jorge Fernandez.
In Busan he struck gold with the youthful RJ Bautista, completing
his collection of the world's finest silverwares in bowling.
Then there was pretty girl Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski who amazingly
rode flawlessly aboard her horse, Rustic Rouge and won the
individual show jumping gold upsetting some of the world's
finest riders and uplift the mood of a nation still reeling
from a difficult loss in men's basketball. A toss to Mikee
for that impeccable showing, although it is my view that it
would have still been a great Asian Games for us our country
without her golden moment.
Overall it was an improvement from Bangkok despite some miscues
in some sports. The wipe-out in track and field was depressing
though, as it is the center piece event in any competition.
And it would be great for our boxing team to enjoy a resurgence
and rule the Asian circuit once again as it was in Hiroshima
when it provided three sparks on the final day. Some of our
Southeast Asian neighbors- Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and
Indonesia outpaced us in the meda tally with the tiny hub
Singapore outpacing us in the gold standings with five - two
in body building and three in bowling with two from Remy Ong
in men's singles and men's masters.
PSC chairman Eric Buhain did a fine job in his first year
in office. There are so many things to look forward to in
future competitions. The prospect is bright especially in
bowling and billiards. Wushu is in line as an Olympic sport
in 2004. The question of funding will always haunt the recesses
of our success. It's always about money, money and more money.
But all we need is a will, and we'll surely find a way. *
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