Morte leads PHL wrestlers in Singapore tiff

MANILA, Philippines – Zamboanga’s Jhonny Morte led the way as Team Philippines captured three gold medals along with nine silvers and two bronzes in the recent Southeast Asia and Australasian Wrestling Championships at Yishun Sports Hall in Singapore.

Morte, a bronze medalist in the 2013 SEA Games, dished out a winning performance in the men’s 61 kgs freestyle competition, where he fluidly executed several fighting stances in beating Cambodian Kang Densipeth, Thai Satid Kaewpawan and Vietnamese Ho Kang Hual en route to the gold.

Morte was eventually adjudged the “Best Scientific Wrestler” of the two-day seven-nation tourney, equivalent to the MVP plum.

Alvin Lorequito and Francis Villanueva also pulled off triumphs in the 57kg and 125kg freestyle events.

Lorequito stamped his class on four rivals to post a gold-winning 15 points against the 13 of Vietnamese Ta Hong Tuan, while Villanueva beat Singaporeans’ Augustine Ang and Hidayat Haron to win with an 8-point tally.

The Phl grapplers finished second overall behind Vietnam, which ruled 11 events.

Bringing home the silver medals were Greco-Roman bets Noel Morada (59kg), Jefferson Mantad (66kgs) and Smael Trazona (80kg), freestyle aces Jason Balabal (86kgs), Robertson Torres (97kg) and ladies Efralyn Crisby (60kg), Grace Loberanes (53kg), Ninalyn Foy-os (55kg) and Mary Rose Marinas (58kg).

Joseph Angana (freestyle 65kg) and Rosegyn Malabja (FW 48kg) took the bronze as all 14 in the contingent landed in the podium.

“We’re pretty happy with the performance considering that they (wrestlers) didn’t have any foreign training prior to this tournament and yet they produced medals,” said Wrestling Association of the Philippines secretary general Marcus Valda.