Team Philippines caps YOG campaign

BUENOS AIRES – The final results were close in women’s archery but not in mixed golf as Team Philippines concluded its participation Monday in the third Youth Olympic Games here.

Nicole Marie Tagle was the last one standing for the lean delegation of seven athletes and just as many officials when she vied in the 1/16 of the recurve individual.

Moments earlier, Yuka Saso and Carl Jano Corpus fired an aggregate score of eight-over 148 in the team event to finish tied for 20th with a three-day total of 289.

Philippine Ambassador to Argentina Linglingay Lacanlale hosted dinner Monday for the delegation led by chef-de-mission Jonne Go.

The other athletes who remain in town are fencer Lawrence Tan and table tennis’ Jann Mari Nayre. Swimmer Nicole Oliva had flown to California with her parents.

“For me it’s a huge success for Team Philippines,” said Go, who was also chief of delegation when archery Luis Gabriel Moreno won a gold medal in Nanjing in 2014.

So far in the medal standings, the Philippines is tied in 69th place with Algeria, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, Ireland, Saint Lucia and the United Arab Emirates with a lone silver.

Only 89 of 206 countries have won at least one medal so far in the Games.

Powerhouse Russia leads the medal race with 24-15-9 (gold-silver-bronze), followed by China 16-7-9, Japan 13-7-12 and Hungary 12-6-4. Among Sountheat Asian countries, Thailand is ahead with 2-3-1, followed by Vietnam 2-1-0, Malaysia 2-0-0 and the Philippines 0-1-0.