Cyclist Joey Barba gives RP 1st SEA Games gold

The Philippines entered the gold column of the 24th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) Thursday courtesy of Joey Barba who ruled the men's mountain bike downhill finals with a time of 3:56.920 minutes in Nakon Ratshcsima,Thailand. Barba, who was second during Wednesday's seeding run behind host's Sitchai Ketkaewmanee, was 28.870 seconds faster than eventual second placer Ariyo Sejati Popo of Indonesia, according to the results posted on the tournament's website. The Filipino biker thus became a back-to-back winner of the event. Barba won the same event during the Philippine SEAG in 2005. Ketkaewmanee finished with a 4:00.860 to salvage third spot. The other finishers and their order of placings are as follows: Thailand's Phuengnoi Wisit (4:03.660) posted fourth place finish, Indonesia's Pornomo Pornomo (4:09.800) fifth, Singapore's Ian Krempl (5:10.640) sixth, Singapore's Herman Arsek Mohd (6:46.850) seventh and Vietnam's Dien Phan Thanh (6:04.520) eight. The gold medal follows what is considered as a devastating campaign by Filipino shooters who had only three silvers and a bronze medal haul. The Philippines does not have an entry in women's downhill because there are practically no takers back home in the event that sends riders down a steep course molded out of a mountain side and normally marked by several drops, some 90 degrees and 10 feet high. On Friday, it will be the turn of the country's crosscountry riders, specifically Marites Bitbit who will be defending her gold medal. Eusebio Quinones will try to regain the gold medal he lost in 2005. He will be riding alongside Frederick Feliciano, the silver medal winner in 2005 in Danao. The mountain bike team has been training in Thailand since November 28 through the support of Danao councilor Oscar "Boying" Rodriguez, an international commissaire for mountain bike. Filipino-American Steve Pelaez and Filipino-Australian Apryl Eppinger arrived Tuesday. They were joined by the rest of the 19-member national cycling team for road, track and mountain bike on Wednesday. - GMANews.TV