SEAG: Gymnasts deliver as Gilas, Filipina spikers start strong

ABS-CBN News

Posted at May 10 2023 12:53 AM

Carlos Yulo during the parallel bars event at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia on May 9, 2023. POC/PSC Media handout
Carlos Yulo during the parallel bars event at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia on May 9, 2023. POC/PSC Media handout

The Philippines added six gold medals and moved to fourth place in the table on Tuesday, with the men's gymnastics team contributing heavily. 

Carlos Yulo ruled the men's parallel bars as expected, but John Ivan Cruz and Juancho Besana showed their class in the floor exercise and vault as well.

Yulo was untouchable in the parallel bars, his score of 14.8500 comfortably ahead of silver medalist Đinh Phương Thành of Vietnam (14.400). 

Meanwhile, Cruz ensured that the floor exercise gold would stay with the Philippines as he topped the apparatus with a score of 13.8500, beating Thailand's Tikumporn Surintornta (13.8000). Yulo ruled the event in Hanoi last year.

In vault, Besana's total of 14.2750 was good enough to relegate Surintornta (14.1500) to another silver. Yulo was also the gold medalist in vault in the previous SEA Games, but the host nation ruled that non-Cambodian athletes can only compete in two apparatus finals this year. 

Yulo thus concluded his campaign in Cambodia with two golds (parallel bars and individual all-around) and two silvers (team and still rings).

The swimming team continues to shine in Phnom Penh as well, with Teia Salvino winning the women's 100m backstroke in record fashion. Her time of 1:01.640 erased the previous mark set by Vietnam's Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên in Kuala Lumpur 2017. 

It's the second gold medal contributed by the swimming team, who have also won six silvers and four bronzes.

In athletics, Janry Ubas finally got the gold medal in long jump when he recorded 7.85 at the Morodok Techo Stadium. It's the first SEA Games gold for the 29-year-old, who settled for silver in 2019 in the Philippines and again last year in Hanoi.

The soft tennis team scored a second gold as well, this time in the women's team event after an impressive sweep of Indonesia in the final.

The Philippines ended Tuesday with 25 gold medals, 39 silvers, and 42 bronzes -- good for fourth place in the medal table. Thailand is now at the top spot with 40-30-45, followed by Vietnam at 39-39-46. Hosts Cambodia slipped to third with a 39-39-39 haul. 

 Christian Standhardinger of Gilas Pilipinas in action against Malaysia in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia. PSC/POC Media.
Christian Standhardinger of Gilas Pilipinas in action against Malaysia in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia. PSC/POC Media.

Meanwhile, Gilas Pilipinas cruised to a 94-49 victory over Malaysia to open their quest for redemption. De La Salle University's Michael Phillips threw down a handful of dunks to punctuate the Philippines' win.

Also triumphant was the Philippine women's volleyball team, who recorded a quick 25-5, 25-5, 25-5 over Cambodia at the jampacked Olympic Complex Indoor Main Hall.

However, the Philippine women's football team -- tipped to contend for gold -- bowed out in the group stage despite inflicting a 2-1 defeat on defending champion Vietnam. Because of an inferior goal difference, the Filipinas will not make it to the semifinals.


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