RP cagers bag silver in 'Beach' 3-on-3

BALI, Indonesia – The Philippines ended its campaign in the first Asian Beach Games with a silver medal in men’s 3-on-3 basketball Sunday at the Tanjung Benoa beach here.

The Smart-Pilipinas team of Joseph Emmanuel Tolentino, Arthur dela Cruz, Samuel Joseph Marata and Philip Paredes bowed to a tall and more aggressive Indian squad, 17-23.

Tolentino, who had double-digit scores in the past three games, was limited to only two points. He also missed five free throws that gave the Indians a 7-2 lead which ballooned to 15-7 at the end of the second quarter.

Marata scored six straight points in an 8-2 run to put the Philippines within 15-17, 3:47 left in the third quarter. But Rathee Sunil made three consecutive baskets, 30 seconds remaining.

“Sayang. Anyway, a silver is not bad,” said Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas executive director and RP team manager Noli Eala.

In the triathlon competitions at the Mertasari beach, Asian Games veteran Lea Coline Langit clocked 2:17:21 to finish eighth among 15 entries in the women’s division while newcomer Neil Catiil submitted 2:05:51 for 18th place among 31 entries in the men’s division.

“We have a very modest expectation here. Langit was the top finisher among the Southeast Asian participants. We’re satisfied with our performance,” said Triathlon Association of the Philippines president Tom Carrasco, who is also vice president of the Asian Triathlon Federation and treasurer of the International Triathlon Union.

Hongkong’s Daniel Chi Wo Lee, a silver medalist in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, clocked 1:52:49 to win the gold while teammate Andrew James Wright took the bronze in 1:54:19. Japan’s Junichi Yamamoto (1:53:15) bagged the silver.

Chinese Zhang Yi, a veteran of the Beijing Olympics and fourth-placer in the Doha Asian Games, topped the women’s division in 2:07:25. Chinese Xing Lin, a five-time national champion from Liaoning Province, finished second in 2:07:25 followed by South Korea’s Jang Yun-jung (2:08:52).

RP delegation head Vincent Piccio was satisfied with the performance of the Filipinos, who finished 21st in the medal standing with two silvers and eight bronzes.

“This is a good showing for us. We did our best,” said Piccio, also the president of the Wrestling Association of the Philippines. “We look forward to the next Asian Beach Games in Oman where we intend to do better and win more medals.”

Host Indonesia bagged the overall title with 22 golds, eight silvers and 20 bronzes followed by Thailand with nine golds, 16 silvers and 10 bronzes. China was third with six golds, 10 silvers and seven bronzes while South Korea placed fourth with four golds, seven silvers and 10 bronzes.

Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Yusuf Kalla, Bali Asian Beach Games Organizing Committee (BABGOC) chairman Aburizal Bakrie and OCA president H.H. Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Sabah graced the closing ceremony at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana, a monumental cultural park in Nusa Dua.

The ceremony also featured a cultural presentation of Indonesian traditional dances and songs and the handover of the Asian Beach Games torch from Indonesia to Oman, which welcomed the Games to Muscat in 2010.

Meanwhile, Muscat Asian Games Organizing Committee (MAGOC) director Habib Macki said only 11 sports will be played in Oman due to lack of hotels.

“We are looking at different things. Here in Bali, there are many hotels and you can accommodate many athletes,” said Macki. “We don’t want to build that many hotels because there will be not much use. We must think about the future. Therefore, we will concentrate on only 11 sports and a certain number of athletes.”