MANILA, Philippines - The medal haul of Team Philippines (one gold, four-bronzes) may be shallow through five days of action in the Asian Games but Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Ricardo Garcia remained confident the Filipino bets are still on track for their target of four gold medals. A day after arriving from Guangzhou, China, Garcia said it’s too early to pass judgment on the Phl team, which at this point only has a gold medal to show, courtesy of bowler Biboy Rivera (men’s singles), along with a couple of bronzes from dancesport pair Ronnie Steeve Vergara and Charlea Lagaras, one from bowler Frederick Ong and another from wushu bet Mark Eddiva.
“I saw for myself that the athletes are really doing their best. Let’s not judge them immediately (as a failure).” said Garcia. “It’s really too early; our only letdown was in (8-ball) billiards where Efren “Bata” Reyes bowed out but then again, we were able to offset this with an unexpected gold in bowling.”
The PSC chief sees hope in the remaining 9-ball events of billiards and bowling, taekwondo, boxing and even women’s long jump in athletics.
“We’re still on target on the four or five golds. Hopefully, we can still salvage two golds in billiards and maybe taekwondo can also get one. If our bowlers continue playing the way they played in the singles event, they also have a chance.
“Boxing, too, if we can get one or two, then we’re good. And Marestella Torres may have a shot since we heard her opponents may be tired coming from competitions before the Asian Games,” Garcia said.
The Philippines is seeking to at least match its four-gold, six-silver, and nine-bronze production in the last Asiad in Doha
Olmin Leyba, Philippine Star
