NAGOYA — Amid the onset of autumn chill, Team Philippines’ medal rush only got hotter.
Two bronzes in hand. Two more assured. And the cavalry has just arrived.
Hurdler John Cabang-Tolentino, Sibol’s e-gamers and the sepak takraw queens delivered a scorching Sunday for the Filipino bets at the 20th Asian Games here – just as tennis darling Alex Eala and pole vault king EJ Obiena checked in to usher in Week 2.
Cabang-Tolentino, who broke the ice for Philippine athletics at the Southeast Asian Games last year, repeated the feat here with a season-best 13.48 seconds to claim bronze in the men’s 110m hurdles under continuous drizzle at Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium.
The Paris Olympian fought hard, finishing .33 behind gold winner Chen Yuanjiang of China (13.15). Home bet Rachid Muratake took silver in 13.29.
Sibol made history earlier.
The Pokemon UNITE team – led by Ducke Leoncio, Lawrence Gatmaitan and Robert Mempin – captured the Philippines’ first-ever esports medal in the Asian Games, bagging bronze after bowing to Indonesia in the semifinals.
It was a gritty run that started with a forfeiture to Kazakhstan over a uniform mishap, then roared to life with a sweep of Hong Kong.
Mempin’s Darkrai spearheaded a 576-80 demolition in Game 1 – 230 points, four knockouts, four assists and an 87 rating – with Gatmaitan’s Crustle adding 211 points. Leoncio’s Mew then closed it out, 576-207, behind 71,672 damage, 129 points and four knockouts.
“We’re so happy. I’m in awe. For the athletes, this is an achievement that they will have all their lives,” said coach Albert Camp.
The charge didn’t stop there.
Sibol’s Honor of Kings crew – Dragon Hart Dajao, Golden Hart Dajao, Charles Roman Esguerra, Chammy Paul Nazarrea, Justine Ritchie Tan and Jhon Mike Tungol – secured another bronze after a dominant win over Korea, booking a heavyweight semifinal against China at 10 a.m. today.
Coach Gerald Gelacio credited the team’s disciplined play, saying the squad stuck to its game plan and kept mistakes to a minimum.
On the mat, Nelly Jay Salon, Jean Marie Sucalit and Abegail Sinogbuhan refused to be outdone. The women’s doubles sepak takraw team stunned host Japan in a thriller, 10-15, 17-14, 15-11, then swept India, 15-12, 15-6, to barge into the semis.
“I’m very proud of our women’s doubles team. I know how much they’ve been through, mentally and physically, to get here. It hasn’t been an easy journey,” said Philippine sepak takraw chief Karen Tanchanco-Caballero.
“They came with nothing to lose and everything to gain. They trusted themselves, each other, their coaches, and God. This assured medal is a historic moment and they’ve earned every bit of it,” she added.
The wins cushioned the blows elsewhere.
In boxing, Junmilardo Ogayre’s Cinderella run in the men’s 60kg ended in the quarterfinals at Nishio Gymnasium, outclassed 0-5 by Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov.
Tokyo silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam are now the last hopes for the six-man Philippine boxing team.
In weightlifting, Kristel Macrohon just missed the podium by two kilos, finishing fourth in the women’s 69kg with a total of 227kg (102kg snatch, 125kg clean & jerk) behind Bahrain’s Ingrid Grueso (229kg), a day after Albert Ian delos Santos delivered a bronze.
Two bronzes delivered. Two more secured. And with Eala and Obiena now in town, Team Philippines is revving up for more.