Pinoys plunge into Asiad action

INCHEON, South Korea – A 157-member Philippine athletic contingent, reduced to size by the failure of some athletes to leave the country at the height of super typhoon Mario, braces for the toughest sporting challenge in the world’s biggest continent as the 17th Asian Games blasts off today in this port city in northwestern Korea.

Tough is the name of the game where competition will bring to the limelight the world and Olympic champions from this part of the world, leaving the countries like the Philippines, hardly a factor in the lowly Southeast Asian Games the last two editions, with the goal of reaching at least the next round of competition – then bow out with some measure of pride.

Filipino rowers gun for the country’s first medal in lightweight singles and doubles sculls against top contenders from China and Korea, while the shooters hope to advance to the finals in the tight race for the medal round in trap shooting where Korea, China and the India are the world beaters.

The men’s and women’s tennis teams hope to advance to the second round against a field expected to be dominated by China while the wushu artists hope to make a performance impressive enough to win a silver or bronze behind China, the masters of this ancient art.

Veteran Benjamin Tolentino brings his Southeast Asian Games experience to the placid waters of the Chungju Tangeum Lake, seeking outright passage to the finals among six competitors in the lightweight men’s singles sculls.

Tolentino, son of a former basketball player and the oldest of the entries, tries to give himself a belated 41st birthday gift in the 10 a.m. Heat 1, where the winner advances to the finals. The six others are relegated to the repechage where they get a last chance at a medal.

Korean Pak Chollum is the favorite to advance, leaving Tolentino and entries from Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Vietnam with a second chance at a place in the medal round.

Forty minutes later, Edgar Ilas and Nestor Cordova, whose partnership produced a bronze in the SEA Games in 2011 and a silver in 2013, compete in Race 5 of the lightweight men’s doubles sculls, hoping to gain the first two slots to the finals against entries from Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan and Indonesia.

The three others will play in the repechage. 

Elsewhere, the tandem of Roque Abala Jr and Alvin Amposta engage bets from Hong Kong, Taipei, Kuwait, China and Indonesia for the lone slot in the finals of the men’s doubles sculls. A position lower than first relegates the pair and four others to the repechage.

In trap shooting at the Gyeonggido Shooting Range, veteran Eric Ang, the second oldest competitor at 43, and Hagen Alexander Topacio play five rounds to be in the top six among 40 elite participants to qualify for the finals.

The women’s tennis team of Dennis Dy and Katharina Melissa Lehnert and the men’s team of Patrick John Tierro, Ruben Gonzales, Jr. and Treat Condrad Huey start their campaigns at 10 a.m. at the Yeorumul Tennis Courts.

The wushu team, competing at 7 p.m., is one player less following the withdrawal of Evita Elise Zamora, the Philippine entry in the women’s Sanda 60-kg, who hurt her right knee while she was competing in a tournament in China.

Wushu team manager Jimmy Ong said his squad will be represented by Jean Claude Saclag (men’s Sanda 60-kg), Divine Wally (women’s Sanda 60-kg) and Francisco Solis (men’s Sanda 56-kg).

Weightlifter Nestor Colonia hopes to make a breakthrough for the Team Philippines when he competes in the 56 kg category in weightlifting at the Moonlight Festival Garden venue at 7 p.m.

His uncle-coach Gregorio Colonia,said he had improved on his personal best of 280 kgs, giving him a fighting chance against the field that includes 2012 Olympics gold medalist Yunchol Om of North Korea (personal best 290 kg) and London Games silver medal winner Wu Jingbao of China (also 290 kg). Others he has to beat are Thach Kim Tuan of Vietnam (286), Askari Majid of Iran (282) and Tran le Quoc Toan of Vietnam (281).

“Our plan is to make a perfect second lift so that we’ll have a strong chance at winning a medal,” said the older Colonia.