Pinoy triathletes sweep SEAG golds

FERNANDO Casares and Kim Mangrobang extended the Philippines' domination of Southeast Asian Games triathlon by winning the gold medals on Saturday at Tuan Chau in Quang Ninh Province, Vi-etnam.

Andrew Kim Remolino bagged the silver medal to make it a 1-2 finish in the men's division while Raven Alcoseba earned a bronze for a 1-3 performance by the women's team.

Kickboxers Jean Claude Saclag and Gina Iniong Araos topped their respective categories late Friday night, adding two more gold medals for Team Philippines.

Saclag dominated the men's low kick -63kg category he won in the 2019 edition while Araos, the reign-ing women's kick light -55kg champion, ruled the -60kg category.

The Philippines had earlier won two more golds from kurash and gymnastics but slid to fifth place with a total of five gold medals, 11 silver medals and 11 bronze medals as of press time.

World gymnastics champion Carlos Yulo won the men's individual all-round event with 85.150 points. Vietnam's Le Thanh Tung (84.050) took the silver medal while compatriot Dinh Phuong Thanh (82.450) got the bronze medal.

Yulo, who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, also pocketed the artistic team silver medal with Juancho Miguel Besana, John Matthew Vergara, Jann Gwynn Timbang and Justine Ace de Leon.

Jackielou Escarpe defeated Thailand's Apicha Boonrangsee in the men's -73kg. final to claim the gold medal in kurash.

Aside from the two gold medals, the kickboxing team also won four silver medals coming from Renalyn Dacquel (women's full contact -48kg), Gretel De Paz (women's full contact -56kg), Zephania Ngaya (women's full contact -65kg) and Claudine Veloso (women's low kick -52kg), and two bronze medals courtesy of Emmanuel Cantores (men's low kick -60kgs) and Honorio Banario (men's low kick -71kg).

Rowing also produced three bronze medals in the men's lightweight coxless four (Edgar Ilas, Roque Abala Jr., Zuriel Sumintac and Joachim de Jesus), men's lightweight quadruple sculls (Athens Tolentino, Van Adrian Maxilom, Christian Joseph Jasmin and Emmanuel Joseph Obaña), and women's lightweight quadruple sculls (Joanie Delgaco, Kharl Julianne Sha, Feiza Jane Lenton and Alyssa Hannah Go) events at the Thuy Nguyen Hai Phong Aquatics Center in Hai Phong, while Bianca Estrella Tialco won the bronze medal in the women's -70kg category in kurash.

Vietnam fortified its hold of the top spot with 25 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 23 bronze medals.

Malaysia has remained in second place with 11 gold medals, five silver medals and 13 bronze medals, followed by Indonesia (7-9-2) and Thailand (6-9-17). Singapore and Myanmar have two gold medals each, while Cambodia has one gold medal.

The Philippine Sports Commission will give the winners cash incentives from the government under Republic Act 10699 also known as the “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.''

The gold medalist will get P300,000, the silver medalist P150,000 and the bronze medalist P60,000.

The PSC spent P232 million to fund the participation of the 980-strong Philippine contingent, including 641 athletes and 210 coaches from 38 sports.