THE BURDEN of delivering the gold medals for the Philippines in the 27th Southeast Asian Games in Burma (Myanmar) falls on athletes who came up with a total of 15 victories in the previous edition held in Indonesia.
Aiming to sustain a triumphant streak, the charming trio of Camille Alarilla, Janice Lagman and Rani Ann Ortega should do well in women’s poomsae which they ruled twice in a row.
London Olympian Rene Herrera, going for a sixth straight steeplechase title, is still a durable contender in the event that he ruled since 2003 in Vietnam.
Cue aces Dennis Orcollo and Iris Rañola are also hot golden contenders in the 9 and 10 ball events along with fellow world-class pool artists Rubilen Amit and Carlo Biado.
The champion in all but one SEAG tournament since 1977, the men’s basketball squad, starring naturalized center Marcus Douthit and Kevin Alas, is again favored to capture the gold in convincing fashion.