Amit rules 10-ball, gets back at rival
NAYPYITAW—Rubilen Amit made sure there was no heartbreak this time.
The reigning World 10-ball champion exacted revenge on Indonesia’s Angeline Magdalena, 7-2, Friday night in the women’s 10-ball finals to secure billiard’s second gold medal of the 27th Southeast Asian Games here.
Keeping her poise under pressure, Amit, who ruled the Women’s World 10-ball Championship in Manila last month, buried a difficult jump shot on the purple-4, paving the way for a runout in the ninth rack at Wunna Theikdi Stadium’s billiard and snooker hall.
It was a reversal of roles just six days ago when Magdalena stunned Amit, 7-2, in the women’s 9-ball finals.
Magdalena also eliminated Iris Rañola, 7-2, in the 10-ball quarterfinals.
Rañola, whose father passed away last week, was taken to the clinic midway into the quarterfinals match due to vomiting and coach Efren “Bata” Reyes said the double-gold medalist in Palembang two years ago was suffering from stress. She couldn’t recover her bearings when she returned to the table.
“It’s a sweet victory,” said Amit, who used the same cue stick that Dennis Orcollo borrowed from her when the former world No. 1 topped the men’s 10-ball event the other day. “This win is dedicated to the country.”
Counting Amit and Orcollo’s victories, the vaunted billiards team contributed two golds, two silvers and three bronze medals to the PH coffers. Carom bets Francisco dela Cruz and Reyes accounted for the two other bronzes.
Amit could have wrapped up the match in the eighth rack, but poor positional play on the black-8 gave Magdalena a lifeline. Magdalena broke dry in the next rack, giving Amit another crack.
MEDAL TALLY
G S B Thailand 86 86 68 Burma 69 52 65 Vietnam 66 70 71 Indonesia 61 66 92 Malaysia 36 36 65 Singapore 31 25 36 Philippines 26 30 32 Laos 10 11 38 Cambodia 6 8 25 Brunei 2 2 4 Timor-Leste 1 1 5
