Amit helps grieving pal as billiards unfolds

NAY PYI TAW – Rubilen Amit accompanied long-time pal Iris Rañola to the Athletes Village, giving the latter all the assistance she needed to get back in Manila on Dec. 22 a day before the interment of her dad who passed away Dec. 11.

Rañola, who defeated her for the title in 2011 and expectedly her rival in the finals of both the 9-ball and 10-ball events, hoped to be back in Manila to attend the burial which was originally set Dec. 21.

Because the organizers moved the 10-ball competitions to Dec. 18-19, she had to ask her family to also move the burial two days later. Amit helped her get POC assistance to have her rebooked for a flight on Dec. 20 for Bangkok, where she has a layover of over 10 hours, then fly to Manila on the 21st. The POC is also arranging for her connecting flight to Zamboanga where she expects to be in time for the last day of the wake.

Hardly recovering from the tragedy, Rañola tried to focus on practice the last two days, and had to hold back tears as she gets frustrated not having been at her father’s sickbed and not having to be with him longer during the wake.

“I’m just trying to hold back the tears. I’ll first attend to the task at hand, and hope I’ll be able to win for my country. That’s the wish of my dad. He wanted me to go despite the feeling he might not be able to see me again,” said Rañola.

“I’m going to compete and win because that’s what he wanted me to do,” she added.

The 9-ball event will be a hectic event as it starts with the eliminations at 10 a.m., with the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals to be held in succession in the afternoon.

A good side of the tight schedule is that both Amit and Rañola will have a four-day rest before the 10-ball competitions slated Decl 18-19.

In between, Carlo Biado and Dennis Orcollo compete in separate halves of the draw in the 9-ball event Dec. 15-16 and in the 10-ball Dec. 17-18.

Also competing today are Django Bustamante and Bata Reyes in the carom 1 cushion.