The 34-man Vietnamese delegation scooped seven gold medals in the different race categories, but the youthful Filipino kayakers more than held their own in both the seniors and juniors side of the events.
Rookie Marvin Amposta started the gold rush for the Filipino paddlers after topping the junior men’s 1,000m singles in four minutes, 17.75 seconds, 25 seconds better than Singapore’s Weng Chong Ren (4:42.44).
The third man in the group, Vietnam’s Pham Khac Chan, did not finish.
Amposta actually opted to take it easy at the start of the race, paddling with even but powerful strokes before pouring it on in the final half of the race.
"Noong una, haba-haba (paddling with long, slow strokes) lang muna ako, pero hindi naman talaga sila malayo. Binuhos ko na lang ng kalagitnaan," said the Abucay, Bataan native.
Amposta had a chance for a medal finish in the 1,000m seniors singles, but Myanmar’s Phone Myint Tayzar crossed his lane and overtook him 500m into the race. The junior Batasan High School student ended up fourth.
"Pagka-cross sa akin ng taga-Myanmar tinamaan ako ng tubig kaya naapektuhan ang balance ko," added Amposta.
Four other Filipino bets salvaged the two other gold medals for the Philippines going into the final today in the three-day competition.
The event is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Philippine Convention and Visitors Inc., SBMA Subic Fisherman’s Wharf Resort, Subic International Hotel, San Miguel Corp., Smart Addict Mobile, McDonald’s-Olongapo, Coppertone Sports , Tribu Sandals, Subic Bay Medical Center, Stron Communications System, IDG Productions and Penta-Shimizu Toa Joint-Venutre.
Jonard Saren and Ryan Ronald Tabagan, both 17 years old, ruled the 1,000m juniors doubles for the country’s second gold, while longtime partners April Mae Peñalosa and Janet Escalona picked up the Philippines’ third and final gold for the day in the women’s 1,000m juniors finals.
With Saren setting the pace and Tabagan keeping the boat on even keel, the Filipinos outsteadied the doubles pairs from Vietnam and Singapore and came in at 4:03.57. Vietnam’s Nguyen Manh Long and Nguyen Hai Dong checked in second (4:10.75), while Singapore’s Roger Koh and Lee Cheng Jie was third at 4.48.15.
"Maganda ang naging teamwork namin. Noong una, haba-haba lang pero malaki na kaagad ang naagwat namin noong last ten meters," said Saren, who also won three silver medals in the 1,000m, 500m and 200m categories in the event’s Thailand edition last year.
Peñalosa and Escalona, who admitted to frequent clashes in the past, worked beautifully together yesterday on the way to taking the gold in the women’s 1,000m juniors finals.
Peñalosa is still on the running for a possible three more gold medals when she sees action in the women’s juniors and women’s seniors 5000m singles, the women’s seniors 200m singles and the women’s juniors 200m singles. She will be joined by Escalona in the women’s juniors 500m doubles and in the women’s juniors 200m singles.