Fil-Am gymnast boosts RP’s bid for eight golds

The Philippines’ gold medal hopes in gymnastics got a boost with the arrival of a Filipino-American gold medalist.

Neil Faustino, 22, rings event gold medalist in the Vietnam SEA Games, came here "not much for the individual event," but "to help the (team) win."

"This is like accomplishing my long-term goal (of winning an international event.) This is my last competition and I committed to do it last time, and I just wanted to come and see these guys (teammates) again," Faustino told The STAR. "You don’t get to do it very often."

Faustino, a computer engineering student at the University of Illinois in Chicago, said the Philippines has a good chance of winning in the gymnastics event.

"I haven’t seen any other teams but from what I see from our team, it looks very promising," Faustino said.

According to Noel Buenaventura, president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines, the Philippines hopes to win eight of 24 gold medals at stake in four disciplines — men’s artistic, women’s artistic, rhythmic, and aerobic rhythmic.

Men’s artistic gymnastics coach Santiago Ty said Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand loom as the top contenders while Brian Peralta said the Philippines is weak in the rings events.

"I don’t want to talk about our (weaknesses) because we are prepared," Ty said when asked what his team’s weaknesses are.

Ty hopes to top the Philippines’ 1991 SEAG medal haul of two golds, four silvers, and four bronzes.

The Philippines’ gymnasts also competed recently in the first Asian Indoor Games in Bangkok, Thailand as part of their training to "polish all the things they have already learned," Buenaventura said. — Reagan Tan/Contributor