Press Release
SANYA, China – Dhenver John Castillo cruised to a silver medal triumph in sailing as the Philippines sustained its grip on third place overall Tuesday, going into the final day of the 6th Asian Beach Games here.
Castillo, who won a gold in last year’s Thailand Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, added another silver to the country’s medal haul in this resort city by winding up second in the boys’ foil windsurfing event at the Sanya Bay Haihong Square.
Supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee under its President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and the Philippine Sports Commission led by chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, Team Philippines is still running third overall in the official medal list with three gold, three silver, and two bronze medals at press time Tuesday.
Regional neighbor Thailand totes a 7-5-4 haul for second while host China is still in front (15-11-5) in the beach joust in this resort city.
Castillo amassed 39 Net points – tied with Thai Wachirawit Thonup — after a scintillating 13-heat battle but got the silver after the Pinoy bet placed second in the last race.
The 14th race was scrapped for good due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Castillo had two Net points in the final sail and a total of 58 to Thonup’s three (57 total) that clinched it for the lanky windsurfer.
Up against the best in Asia, winning the mint proved to be sweet for Castillo.
“Of course, during training, it’s really hard. You have to persevere,” Castillo said. “You really put all your heart into these competitions. My family told me to always be careful, do your best, while my coaches, they said, always stay focused.”
“The competition here in China is a bit tough because it’s not just the SEA Games, but you are competing against the best in Asia,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 men’s team advanced to the semifinals after beating India, 18-14, at the Sanya Sports Centre Gymnasium.
The Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 women team marched to the semifinals after beating Kazakhstan, 16-11, in their quarterfinals match.
The Philippine wrestling team is off to a difficult start after losing its opening matches in the round robin of the beach wrestling event at the Sanya Bay Yuhai Club.
The day started strong with Abby Balisme winning in the women’s 60kg knockout matches, frustrating Danielle Lim of Singapore twice via points, 3-1, to claim her spot in the round-robin group matches.
But the wins ended there with Aliah Gavalez and Balisme falling in the women’s Round 1 battles against separate opponents in the 50kg and 60kg divisions, respectively.
Thailand SEA Games bronze medalist Callum Roberts also faltered in his first match against Dadakhon Kurbonaliev of Tajikistan, 3-0, in the men’s +90kg event.
Despite the setbacks, the experience serves as a big learning point for the Philippines, especially with more matches to come.
“Really, it’s a great experience for each and every one of us. The exposure of not just the sport, but the individual athletes. It’s great overall,” Roberts said.
Other results saw Fierre Afan drop his match against Bangladesh’s Md Ali Amjad, 3-0, in the men’s 80kg event.
Still, there is room for redemption for the Filipino wrestlers.
Two other Pinoy bets have yet to see action, with Joe Fer Callado and Neonards Cervantes yet to take the sands in Sanya.
The four others can still bounce back in their second round robin matches slated in the afternoon on Tuesday.
The top two of each group will advance to the quarterfinals scheduled late Tuesday evening.
Over at the Tianya Haijiao Venue Cluster, the sport climbing delegation — men and women — all fell in the qualification rounds.
John Frones submitted a time of 6.08 seconds but ranked only 28th overall where the Top 16 advanced to the final.
Juan Miguel Azupa (7.20), Kevin Jeffrey Pascua (10.12), and Gerardo Acebedo IV (two falls) all finished 35th, 38th, and 39th, respectively.
In women’s play, Glory Ann Dizon ended 27th overall by clocking 10.07 seconds while Precious Cabuya (17.94) and Mecca Cortizano (18.27) ranked 31st and 32nd, respectively. (PR)
