Orcollo, Kiamco advance to billiards' medal round

GUANGZHOU — Dennis Orcollo and Warren Kiamco thawed the anxiety of nearly a week’s wait to finally brandish their cue sticks and march into the semi-final round of the 9-ball billiards event despite a rough day for the Philippine team in the 16th Asian Games here. Plunging into heavy action after waiting five days for their event, Orcollo shaded Chen Man Lee of Hong Kong, 9-8, while Kiamco turned back China’s Jinhu Dang, also at 9-8, to move into Thursday’s medal round. They made up for the ouster of Rubilen Amit and Iris Ranola in the 8-ball Round of 16. Amit and Ranola shift their guns to the 9-ball Round of 16 tonight against professional women’s tour veteran Xiaoting Pan of China and Chonticha Chitchomnart of Thailand. “Ang tagal naming nakatingin lang sa mga dingding dito sa athlete’s village, parang mas tense pa kami habang naghihintay," said Orcollo, who arrived with the team members several days before the start of their event. Orcollo and Kiamco are both considered as medal prospects. Their advance to the medal round was a welcome relief after PHL’s limping campaign in other fronts that included bowling, swimming, water sports and taekwondo. Singles gold medalist Engelberto “Biboy" Rivera and partner Frederick Ong, who had won a bronze, both struggled in the doubles and pooled together 2,455 pinfalls to finish 16th in the event topped by Singapore’s Remy Ong and Jayson Yeong Nathan (2,691) in the Squad B. Raoul Miranda and Chester King (2,431) placed 14th in the Squad A event while compatriots Collins Jose and Benshir Layoso (2,350) finished 19th in Squad B. Two rising taekwondo stars — Samuel Thomas Morrison (Under 74kgs) and 14-year-old Pauline Louise Lopez (Under 46kgs) — reached the quarterfinal round but failed to advance further. Jyra Marie Lizardo (Under 49kgs) lost in the first round. “We have nine more entries in various weight divisions. We did not get the breaks (Thursday) but we remain confident of our medal chances," said taekwondo coach Rocky Samson. The other good news on Day 5 was the first-round triumph of Wilfredo Lopez in boxing’s 69kg division against Bangladeshi Suruz Bangali, 5-1, and in golf where Miguel Luigi Tabuena’s four-under 68 gave him a one-stroke lead over Sri Lankan M. Kaluthanthrige and Koreans Meen Whee Kim and Jaehyok Lee in individual play. That 68 helped the RP golf team of Mhark Fernando, Carlos Puyat and Jerson Balasabas pool together a 218, eight back of pace-setting Korea (210). Balasabas is in a tie for ninth in the individual race at one-over. Maria Imelda Piccio was the best-placed among Filipino golfers in the women’s division with a six-over 78, good for a tie at 13th, behind leader Jin Yang of China (69). The PHL ladies team placed sixth (157) or 15 strokes behind leader China. The other members of the Philippine women’s team are Chichiro Ikeda (79) and Dottie Ardina (82), whose score did not count. Cecil Mamiit and Treat Conrad Huey advanced to the next round in the singles of men’s tennis while Johnny Arcilla and Ruben Gonzales downed Al Saad Fahad Sulaiman and Al Thagib Omar Sulaiman of Saudi Arabia, 6-1, in the doubles. Veteran shooter Nathaniel “Tac" Padilla submitted a 9.417 in the 25m standard pistol and wound up 11th out of 39 behind Korea’s Seonghwan Hong (9.583) ,while swimmer Miguel Molina (2:04.94) finished fifth in the 200m individual medley finals won by Japan’s Ken Takakuwa (1:58.31). Jackson Hong lost to Vietnam’s Lai Ly Hunyh while Sandy Chua took a beating from Macau’s Kuok U Long in round five of Chinese chess, called qiangqi. In the seventh and eighth races of double handed dinghy 470, Lester Troy Tayong and Emerson Villena placed fifth, while Reneric Moreno was sixth in races 7 and 8 of the RS:X. Both events were dominated by China and Japan. Rower Benjamin Tolentino yielded to Hong Kong’s Kwan Hoi Lok in the repechage of single sculls. Mark Eddiva, however, prevented a medal shutout in wushu when he took the 65kgs bronze in the sansou event, the fourth for RP after the dancesports duo of Ronnie Steeve Vergara and Charlea Lagaras had earlier contributed two, plus the one by bowler Ong. – JVP/KY, GMANews.TV