Perez first SEAG triple gold medalist

LOS BANOS, Laguna — Sheila Mae Perez snared the 1m springboard gold medal yesterday to become the 23rd Southeast Asian Games’ first triple gold medal winner in a victory that more than made up for the heartbreaking loss by countryman Rexel Ryan Fabriga at the Trace Aquatics Center here.

Perez, 19, overcame a faulty first attempt and fought her way back with superb performance highlighted with a reverse 1 1/2 summersault, 1 1/2 twist free position to edge Leong Mun Yee of Malaysia for the gold with 267.66 points.

Mun Yee, a head-turner and a favorite among fans, was ahead in the first four dives and even led by eight points in one turn before wavering in her final attempt to settle for the silver with 266.34.

Indonesian Sari Ambarwati took the bronze with 229.74.

"I was trying to tell myself that a silver medal would be enough," said the teary-eyed Perez, who also topped the 3m springboard synchronized with Ceseil Domenios and 3m springboard, in Filipino.

"But I didn’t want to disappoint my mother, my countrymen and all the people who supported me so I told myself I could beat her (Mun Yee)," said Perez later who was seen hugging her mother Virginia, who arrived recently from Davao City.

But Perez’s victory couldn’t save the Philippines from falling to Malaysia in the race for the overall diving honors as Fabriga fell to fast-rising Malaysian teener and 2004 World Junior champion Bryan Nickson in the 10-m platform.

Benefiting tremendously from a one-year training in China, Nickson copped the gold with a tally of 580.20 as the talented Malaysians snatched the overall diving title from the Filipinos, who topped the 2003 Hanoi Games with a two-gold, two-silver and two-bronze medal haul.

Fabriga, who teamed up with first timer Kevin Kong to seal the 10-m platform synchronized gold, hastened his downfall after he was deducted 20 points when he balked on his start, bucking an injured wrist on a handstand in the triple summersault in his penultimate attempt.

He sought for a re-dive citing strong winds but was denied by head referee and FINA, the world governing body of swimming, representative Robin Hood of New Zealand.

RP dropped to second with five gold medals, a silver and two bronze medals, two silver medals less than Malaysia’s total medal haul of five gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

Thailand finished with three silver and five bronze medals while Vietnam and Indonesia rounded up the top five with three silver medals and a bronze medal, respectively.

It wasn’t enough to spoil the Nationals’ celebration after more than doubling their performance in Vietnam.

"We’re more than happy with what we achieved because we have more than doubled our efforts in Vietnam," said RP team coach Rommel Kong.