Lady boxers, chessers spearhead PH bid today

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar—After taking a breather yesterday, Team Philippines plunges back into action as the 27th Southeast Asian Games goes full blast Thursday in this fast-developing capital city.

The Filipinos try to  keep pace with the region’s finest after seizing only three gold medals, five silvers and three bronzes after four days of competition  held in various venues before the formal opening ceremony Wednesday.

Grandmasters Joey Antonio and Eugene Torre are set to compete in the men’s Asean rapid and standard chess at Zabuthiri Hotel today. Organizers have yet to grant an appeal by the Philippines to revise the earlier list of entries.

Lady boxers Josie Gabuco (light flyweight), bantam Irish Magno and flyweight Maricris Igam get going in the semifinals while the wrestlers, denied of a gold in Greco Roman, try their luck in the freestyle event through Alvin Lobrequito (55 kg), Jhonny Morte (60 kg) and Joseph Angana (66 kg) at National Indoor Stadium in Yangon.

Gabuco, the pinweight title holder in the previous Games, takes on Sornka Chantavonsra of Laos, Igam faces Supida Satumrum of Thailand and Magna also goes for a sure silver against Thai Peamwilai Loapeam.

All nine boxers are already assured of bronze medals while featherweight Nesthy Petecio has made it to the gold-medal showdown against Myanmar’s Nwe Ni Oo tomorrow.

London Olympian Jasmine Alkhaldi (women’s 100-meter freestyle) and rookie Matt Louis Navata (men’s 400m individual medley) kick off the swim campaign of the four-member team.

Sinag Pilipinas resumes its title-retention bid in men’s basketball at Zayar Thiri Indoor Stadium, gunning for a third straight victory against winless Myanmar.

Paddler Hermie Macaranas, who contributed a bronze in the 1000-meter on Tuesday, returns in the men’s C1 500m at Ngalike Dam while Alex Generalo sees action in the men’s K1 500m.

After a dry spell in shooting early in the day, the Philippine delegation dropped everything to join the lavish opening rites Wednesday night at Wunna Theikdi Stadium here.

A four-hour spectacle followed the traditional parade of athletes, capped by the lighting of the Games’ cauldron.

Emerito Concepcion, Jayson Valdez and Benny Cagurin were way off target in the 50-meter rifle prone, compiling only 1,809.4 points to wind up seventh out of eight teams. Thailand scored 1841 for the gold.

Valdez fired 610.4 points, the best output for the Filipino marksmen in the individual side, but failed to advance to  the final round. Nguyen Thanh Dat of Vietnam topped the event with 201.3.

Myanmar, hosting the Games for the first time since 1969, is slowly pulling away in the overall race with 18 golds, seven silvers and nine bronzes. Vietnam is a far second  with a gold-silver-bronze haul of 9-4-7 followed by Thailand (5-9-4), Indonesia (5-8-8) and Malaysia (3-5-12) and the Philippines (3-5-3).