Pinas inangkin ang unang Winter Sports Gold

MANILA, Philippines — Isa na naman itong ma­kasaysayang sandali para sa Philippine sports.

Ilang oras bago ang clo­­sing ceremony ng Ninth Asian Winter Games ay inangkin ng Philippine men’s curling team ang ka­u­na-unahang gold medal sa Harbin, China.

Dinaig nina Marc at Enrico Pfister, Christian Haller at Alan Frei ang South Korea, 5-3, sa final round sa Pingfang Curling Arena.

“Gold medal for Team Philippines, and we expec­ted ourselves to win. It is a great game, and we never doubt ourselves,” sabi ng Filipino-Swiss na si Pfister. “It’s not just only a medal, bronze or silver, but a gold.”

Kaagad kinuha ng tropang binuo nina Curling Pi­lipinas president Benjo De­larmente at Secretary-Ge­neral Jarryd Bello ang 3-1 bentahe bago nakatab­la ang South Korea, ang World No. 7 seed.

Sa kabila nito ay hindi na­nginig ang Pilipinas, ang World No. 51 ranked, at ki­nuha ang panalo.

Ang Pinas ang unang bansa sa Southeast Asia na nanalo ng gold sa Asian Winter Games matapos ang bronze ng Thailand.

“We are so proud of this milestone, and I would like to thank our fellow Southeast Asian nations as well for congratulating us –Filipi­nos – for winning the first ever gold of Southeast Asia in the winter games,” wi­ka ni Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” To­lentino.

“Two days ago, Thailand won Southeast Asia’s first ever medal – bronze – through one of their alpine skiers,” dagdag ng POC chief kay Thai-French Paul Henri Vieuxtemps na pumangatlo sa men’s freeski slopestyle.

Matapos magtala ng 4-1 record sa qualification ay dinaig ng mga Pi­noy ang No. 10 Japan sa qualification phase, 10-4, at ang host No. 17 China, 7-6, sa semifinals.

Kabuuang 19 atleta ang isinabak ng POC sa Asian Winter Games.

Ito ay sa alpine skiing, curling, figure skating, short track speed skating at freestyle skiing.

Minalas sa medalya ang curling mixed doubles team nina Marc Pfister at Kath­leen Dubberstein, si hort track speed skater Pe­ter Groseclose sa 500 me­ters, 1,500m at 1000m, sina women’s figure ska­ters Sofia Frank at Cathryn Limketkai at si Paolo Bor­romeo sa men’s figure skating.

Bigo rin sina Isabella Ga­mez at Aleksander Korovin, alpine skier Tallulah Proulx sa women’s slalom contest, Francis Ceccarelli sa men’s slalom, Laetaz Amihan Rabe sa women’s freeski slopestyle at freeski big air events.

Pinuri ni Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann ang men’s curling team.

“The historic victory of the country in the Men’s Curling marks a significant milestone in the growing dy­namics of the Philippine sports,” ani Bachmann sa tropa.

“This is the country’s first-ever medal in the history of winter multi-sport events, inspiring the entire nation,” dagdag nito.