Golden eight
The Philippines hasn’t collected more than four gold medals in the last 15 editions of the Asian Games or since a haul of seven mints in 1962. The largest harvest was 14 at the 1954 Asiad in Manila. The target for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is eight golds which the country brought back from the Tokyo conclave in 1958. If the Philippines bags eight this year, it will be historic. A golden eight will mark the best finish in 64 years and match the second-best finish ever in 68 years.
Is snaring eight golds doable? In the previous Asiad, the collection was four golds, two silvers and 12 bronzes for a total of 18 medals. The golds were more than what Southeast Asian neighbors Singapore and Vietnam garnered. Claiming golds for the Philippines were pole vaulter EJ Obiena, Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez of jiu jitsu and the men’s 5x5 basketball team. The silver medalists were boxer Eumir Marcial and wushu’s Arnel Mandal. Ochoa and Mandal are now retired from active competition. Obiena and Ramirez are back for another run. Marcial will return but it depends on the outcome of his eight-round fight against Omar Huerta in San Diego on Sept. 19. If Marcial emerges unscathed, he’ll fly straight to Nagoya where his first bout is set on Sept. 23.
Two-time Olympic and three-time world champion Carlos Yulo heads the cast of gold prospects. Yulo, 26, could account for multiple golds as he’s entered in eight events, including team, all-around, floor and vault. Tennis star Alex Eala, 21, is another gold favorite. Only two Asians are ranked above Eala in the WTA ladder but No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and No. 17 Naomi Osaka of Japan aren’t competing in Nagoya. Indonesia’s No. 51 Janice Tien is also skipping the event. China’s No. 40 Wang Xinyu and No. 52 Zheng Qinwen aren’t expected because the Asian Games schedule is conflicted with the Beijing Open.
Eala’s decision to play in Nagoya comes at a stiff price as she faces sanction from WTA for declining her slot in a mandatory 1000 tournament. Her dedication to represent the country is laudable and perhaps, the $10,000 fine expected from WTA could be shouldered by government. That kind of devotion should rub off on basketball players who agree to suit up for the national team only if the price is right.
Obiena, 30, is determined to pocket a second Asiad gold in his third appearance. In the previous Asian Games, he set a meet record with a jump of 5.90m. This year, Obiena has cleared 5.90m and 5.91m. The World No. 11 vaulter will be challenged by No. 15 Seifeldin Abdelsalam of Qatar. Other gold hopefuls are the comebacking Ramirez, jiu jitsu world champion Kim Custodio, Olympic boxing medalists Marcial (if available), Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, Team Sibol vying in six of 11 esports games, mixed martial artists Jean Claude Saclag, Gina Araos and Carlos Alvarez and contenders from wushu, taekwondo and weightlifting. The eight golds or maybe even more could come from this pool. The target is certainly achievable.
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