Surfing, sepak takraw hike RP medal haul in Asian Beach Games

MANILA, Philippines – Surfing and sepak takraw added two more bronze medals Friday to hike the country’s medal haul in the 1st Asian Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia. The Philippines had already collected silver and seven bronze medals but remained at 16th place in the medal standings with still two days left in the competition. The surfing team of Luke Richard Thomas Landrigan, Carlito Nogalo, Dionesio Espejon and Nildie Rietenbach won the mixed team bronze at the Kuta beach after scoring six points in the three-round competitions. Gold medalists Dede Suryana (aerial) and I Made Widiarta (shortboard) led host Indonesia in topping the event with 12 points while aerial event silver medal winner Yuichi Kurogi bannered Japan’s silver medal finish with nine points. The mixed team bronze brought the Billabong-sponsored RP surfers’ medal haul to four counting Landrigan’s silver in men’s longboard, and the third place finishes of Nogalo in men’s shortboard and three-time national champion Marianita Alcala in women’s shortboard. “We’re happy with our performances. Lahat kami may uwing medalya (All of us will be returning with a medal). We hope that the government will take notice that Filipino surfers can make a mark in the world stage," said the La Union-based Landrigan, who belongs to a family of surfers. “We would like to thank Dr. George Canlas for trusting us to represent the country. With our medals, we hope to inspire the young ones to take up surfing and bring honor to the country in future international tournaments." In sepak takraw, the Philippine women’s regu team suffered a 21-20 loss to China in the semifinals at the Inna Grand Bali Hotel beach. China’s win moved them into the gold medal match against Indonesia, which earlier pulled off a 21-17 decision against Thailand. The Philippines and Thailand settled for the bronze. Over at the Tanjung Benoa beach for men’s basketball, Joseph Emmanuel Tolentino scored 13 points to help the Philippines pull off a 33-22 win over Kuwait in their opening game in Group B preliminaries. RP wrestlers Jason Balabal and Michael Natividad, meanwhile, lost in their respective Round of 16 matches. Balabal fell victim to Sherali Bozorov of Tajikistan in the men’s 85kg class while Natividad bowed to Japan’s Kota Horaguchi in the men’s 65kg division. “So far, we’re doing well. We already won one silver and seven bronzes and hopefully, we can win more," said RP head of delegation Vincent Piccio, who added the Philippines can expect winning medals in sailing, windsurfing and triathlon. – GMANews.TV