(ASIAN GAMES) Pinoys start medal drive today: Billiards, dancesports aces plunge into action; PH five battles Kuwait
GUANGZHOU—A powerhouse team of billiards players expected to mine gold and a dark-horse group of athletes trying to insert the words “couples” and “romance” into sporting lexicon kick off their medal bids Saturday as the 16th Asian Games officially get going in various spanking venues here.
Also expected to draw attention is the Smart Gilas national basketball team, which makes its Asian Games debut against a Kuwait team playing under the International Olympic Committee flag because the oil-rich Arab state’s national Olympic committee was suspended due to government interference in sports.
Efren “Bata” Reyes and Roberto Gomez will spearhead the Philippine charge in a sport where the country is universally regarded as its epicenter.
Dancesport, which refers to its pairs as “couples” and considers the “romance” between partners, however manufactured, as crucial to victory, hopes to produce the country’s first gold in its Asiad debut.
“We will really go out there and try our best,” said Emma del Carmen Nieto, who will join Gloria Alcala as acting coaches of the 14-strong dancesport squad after original coach Victor Bienavides of Spain failed to secure accreditation.
‘Team morale very high’
“The team’s morale is very high right now,” added Alcala.
The top couple of Ronnie Vergara and Charlea Lagaras placed second and lost to champion Bulgaria by the slimmest of margins in an International Dance Sport Federation world open recently and will lead the PH dancers’ bid in the weekend event that stakes 10 gold medals, five of which will be up for grabs Saturday.
All eyes, though, will be on Smart Gilas, a team created specifically to take a crack at the 2012 London Olympics, as it opens its bid in its biggest tournament two days after controversy reportedly hit the team over an unaccredited player.
Reports reaching the Philippine secretariat revealed that police were called in to straighten out a hotel incident involving Aldrech Ramos, who was refused entry after arriving here without accreditation.
Ramos was one of two players cut from the squad Thursday. Also failing to make it was former UAAP MVP and Santo Tomas hotshot Dylan Ababou.
The Inquirer tried but could not reach Smart Gilas or Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials for comment.
PBA stars Asi Taulava, Sol Mercado and Kelly Williams will headline the Smart Gilas team made up mainly of former college superstars.
Former Ateneo beanpole Japeth Aguilar, who played in the US NCAA Division I for Western Kentucky, former Ateneo gunner Chris Tiu, ex-Far Eastern U star Mac Baracael and former Cebu college standout Greg Slaughter are among the key players of the team coached by Serbian Rajko Toroman.
“We’re ready for Kuwait,” assistant coach Alan Gregorio said recently.
Wushu another gold prospect
Preliminary events in wushu, another sport tagged as a gold prospect for PH, also starts Saturday with Mary Jane Estimar opening at 7:25 p.m. at the Nansha gym in the women’s 52 kg class against a still unnamed opponent.
Also seeing action are top gold hope Eduard Folayang (men’s 70 kg), Denver Labrador (men’s 60 kg), Mariane Mariano (women’s 60 kg) and Benjie Rivera (men’s 56 kg).
Swimming also hopes to make a splash, although it will have to do so with Miguel Molina striking off the 400 meter individual medley from his events.
“We withdrew Miguel from the 400 so he can prepare for the 200 IM and the relays,” said swim coach Pinky Brosas.
Jasmine Alkhaldi starts the country’s bid in swimming in the women’s 200m freestyle heats at 9 a.m. at the Aoti
Aquatics Center. Also competing in another heat for the 200m free is Erica Totten. Jessie Lacuna hits the pool about half an hour later for the men’s 200m fly heats.
Ruth Dugaduga starts off the country’s judo stint, and she faces the Herculean task of battling reigning Olympic gold medalist Yang Xiuli of China in the women’s -78 kg semifinals.
Kenji Yahata, meanwhile, faces 18-year-old Javad Mahjoub of Iran in the men’s -100 kg quarterfinals.
Also scheduled to fight just before noon at the Huagong Gymnasium is fellow Filipino-Japanese Tomohiko Hoshina in the men’s +100 kg class. The name of his opponent still unavailable.
Several draw sheets were still unfilled at press time as activity nearly ground to a halt at the Asian Games Town in preparation for Friday’s opening ceremony.
Bus operations ceased in the afternoon, and available buses were stationed at the Athletes Village to ferry athletes to the main stadium, which is about an hour away from their quarters.
The soft tennis team, one of the few squads here that is actually praying for a showdown with the hosts, was scheduled to see action in the men’s and women’s team events at 9 a.m. at the Tianhe Tennis School, but the opponents were still unlisted at press time.
Soft tennis officials, led by Col. Jeff Tamayo, are optimistic that a preliminary showdown with China will guarantee the team of at least a bronze medal.
The tennis team composed of Cecil Mamiit, Treat Huey, Johnny Arcilla and Ruben Gonzales was also scheduled to play Saturday, but initial reports said the team drew a first-round bye.
Reyes, Gomez draw byes
