Carlos Yulo and Jackielou Escarpe triumphed in their respective events in gymnastics and kurash on Friday, May 13, in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The two-time world champion Yulo topped the men’s artistic gymnastics individual all-around with a score of 85.150 points to also anchor the team to a silver-medal finish in the team event.
The PH squad of Yulo, Jan Gwynn Timbang, Juancho Miguel Besana Eserio, John Ivan Cruz, Justine Ace De Leon and John Matthew Vergara tallied 301.600 behind Vietnam’s 331.250.
Escarpe, meanwhile, beat Thailand’s Apicha Boonrangsee, 1-0, to rule the men’s -73kg gold medal two days after Francine Padios of pencak silat won the first gold.
Wushu artist Jones Llabres Inso, meanwhile, missed the gold medal by a hairline even as Filipino rowers added three more bronzes.
Inso scored 9.70 points to hold the lead until Malaysia’s Zhi Yan Tan, who was last to take the stage, pulled off the winning performance and tallied 9.71 points for the gold medal.
Juan Kai Chan of Singapore settled for bronze with 9.57 points while two-time SEAG champion and Asian Games silver winner Daniel Parantac fell to seventh place with 9.26 points.
Filipino rowers, meanwhile, fell short of landing a gold medal in the penultimate day of their competition after settling for third in three team events at the Thuy Nguyen Hai Phong Aquatics Center.
Edgar Ilas, Roque Abala Jr., Zuriel Sumintac and Joachim De Jesus clocked 7 minutes and 11 seconds in the lightweight coxless four; Joanie Delgaco, Kharl Julianne Sha, Feiza Jane Lenton and Alyssa Go timed 7:30.14 in the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls; and CJ Jasmin, Van Maxilom, Athens Tolentino, EJ Obaña posted 6:46.84 in the men’s quadruple sculls.
They continue their quest for a first gold medal Saturday when Tokyo Olympian Cris Nievarez guns to retain his men’s lightweight single sculls crown.
Escarpe’s teammate Bianca Estrella, meanwhile, also took the podium with a bronze medal finish in the women’s -70kg following a semifinal loss to Thi Thanh Tram Nguyen of Vietnam.
In volleyball, the Filipina spikers swept Malaysia, 25-14, 25-20, 25-15, to jumpstart their medal bid at the Quang Ninh Gymnasium.
The Nationals controlled the tempo for most parts of the match anchored on Mylene Paat, Alyssa Valdez, Jaja Santiago and Ces Molina en route to their first win in the round-robin preliminaries.
The Nationals will next face powerhouse Thailand on Saturday.
The men’s Gilas Pilipinas team of Brandon Rosser, Jorey Napoles, Marvin Hayes and Reymar Caduyacstarted its title-retention quest with victories over Cambodia, 19-7, and Thailand, 21-16, before bowing to Indonesia, 15-13.
The women’s squad of Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, Clare Castro and Angel Surada, meanwhile, also failed to follow up its commanding 21-5 triumph over Cambodia after succumbing to Vietnam, 21-18.
National fencers also opened up their bids at the Hanoi Indoor Games Palace with Christian Concepcion, Anna Gabriella Guinto Estimada, and Ivy Claire Dinoy Castaños edging their respective first-round rivals in individual epee.
Concecpion bested Malaysia’s Peng Kean Yu, 5-1; Estimada pounced on Thailand’s Pacharaporn Vasanasomsithi, 5-1; and Castaños downed Thailand’s Korawan Thanee, 5-3.
Meanwhile, action fires off in athletics with EJ Obiena out to defend his title in the men’s pole vault.
PH swimmers also take the plunge at the My Dinh Water Sports Palace, as well as the triathlon team at the Sunset Bay in Tuan Chau.
The triathlon squad eyes a sweep both in the men’s and women’s division with Kim Remolino, Fer Casares, defending champion Kim Mangrobang and Raven Alcoseba lined up for the race.
Remolino is out to improve his silver-medal finish behind teammate John Chicano, who would now be racing in Sunday’s duathlon event.
Both Remolino and Alcoseba, meanwhile, are in high spirits after coming off as best performing Filipinos in the recent Subic International Triathlon race a week ago.