Filipino jins and wrestlers made huge contributions to the Philippines' medal haul Wednesday, May 18 in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Baby Jessica Canabal and Kirstie Alora spearheaded the national taekwondo team to two silver medals in the women's kyorugi -53kg and -73kg categories, respectively, while Dave Cea also placed first runner-up in the men's kyorugi -75kg at the Tay Ho Gymnasium.
Cabanal improved one podium up since settling for bronze in the 2019 SEA Games here in the Philippines while Alora repeated her heavyweight silver.
It was a huge blow for Cea though, the reigning lightweight champion, as he suffered a 34-14 beating at the hands of eventual gold medalist Mithona Va of Cambodia.
Home bet Thi Anh Tuyet Tran handed Canabal a 23-16 defeat in the final while Alora absorbed a 10-8 loss against Thi Huong Nguyen of host Vietnam as well.
In wrestling action at the Gia Lam Gymnasium, Noemie Tener (76kg), Minalyn Foy-os (57kg), and Jiah Pingot (50kg) clinched silver medals anew in women's freestyle event.
Vietnamese champion Thi Linh Dang was too much for Tener in the final as the Filipina wrestler sustained a 12-1 defeat.
Foy-os also eked out a 4-0 win against Cambodia's Noeurn Soeurn after surviving the repechage rounds.
Pingot, for her part, salvaged a 2-2 draw in the repechage round against Cambodia's Samnang Dit despite a 9-0 routing from Thi Xuan Nguyen of Vietnam.
Grace Loberanos also added a bronze medal for the Filipina wrestlers in the 53kg freestyle.
Meanwhile, Jenelyn Olsim delivered the first medal for the national vovinam team with a bronze medal finish in the women's -55kg event.
This was the first time that the country has sent vovinam athletes to the regional biennial meet.
The sport, a traditional Vietnamese martial arts, made its SEA Games debut in 2011 and continued in 2013.
Olsim scored 4-3 against Laos in the eliminator before yielding to eventual silver medalist Cambodia, 7-6. Vietnam won its first gold in its own sport.
In muay thai, Rudzma Abubakar assured a bronze medal in combat as she advanced to the semifinal by defeating Panny Soukkhaseum of Laos, 3-0. ###
