INCHEON, South Korea—Fifteen medalists, all of them with a story to tell.
It begins with Daniel Caluag.
On a rolling sun-washed track, 13 days after the frustration over a fruitless search for a first gold medal for the country in the 17th Asian Games began to reach fever pitch, Caluag looked every inch a man in a hurry. He left home two days after his baby girl, Sydney Isabella, was born and he needed to get back quickly to hold her in his arms.
There was a sense of quiet urgency in him, that he barely had the time to thoroughly discuss an absence in UCI-sanctioned races that led to people questioning his fitness going into the Asiad.
The moment he kicked his pedal into gear, however, it was clear that the field would not be able to touch the man in a hurry.
After ruling the seeding run, Caluag won all three moto races to finish No. 1 in cycling’s BMX event, finally breaking the dry spell of victories for the Philippines.
“I’m glad to have won the first gold medal for the country and I’m sure there will be more to come from boxing and the other sports that haven’t played yet,” said the 27-year-old rider.
It never happened.
The closest the country came to the gold was through silver medalist Charly Suarez, who at least had a puncher’s chance to top the podium.
He had beaten Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu of Mongolia before and repeating seemed within grasp. But the Mongolian was a bit wiser than he was than their first bout in an international event last July.
Using his length, Dorjnyambuu refused to let Suarez get within striking range and held on for a split decision victory in the lightweight final.
“I lost, that’s it,” said the soft-spoken fighter. “I don’t have any explanation and I don’t want to make any excuses.”
There could have been pressure. After all, the boxing finals were held a day before the Asiad closing ceremony and Suarez was the country’s last legitimate shot at a gold medal. Karate had another bet on tab Saturday, but the prospects for gold were dim.
Suarez, however, denied pressure had anything to do with it.
“I was relaxed and I fought my game, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be,” he said.
Wushu’s Daniel Parantac and Jean Claude Saclag nailed silvers that might have been gold. Very little chance is given to athletes in the sport if their finals opponent is from China. And that’s what happened to the two Filipinos, who were second in their events to athletes from the Mainland.
Another wushu athlete, Francisco Solis, chipped in a bronze to the Philippine coffers but only after he backed out of his semifinal bout due to a broken rib.
“Actually, the rib was already broken when he fought in the quarters,” said wushu chief Julian Camacho. “But I’m proud of him. He still fought despite the pain just to give a medal to the country.”
Archery’s Paul Marton dela Cruz was among the early bronze medal winners for the Philippines. He took home the compound bronze in men’s archery and could have led the country to another bronze in the team event. Unfortunately, at the last moment, on a crucial shot, an insect pierced his eye and shattered the team’s medal chances.
Samuel Morrison and Benjamin Sembrano got their bronzes in the most painful way. Morrison lost his semifinal bout against Masoud Hajizavareh in the men’s -74 kg class in a fight that was stopped because the Iranian accidentally delivered a hard blow to Morrison’s throat.
Sembrano, meanwhile, cramped up on one leg and hurt his hamstring in another as he lost to China’s Huang Jiannan in the semifinals of the -68kg class. That fight was also stopped prematurely, this time because of point difference, 16-3.
Also finishing with bronzes were Marie Anjelay Perez and Ronna Ilao, the first-timer who lit up Ganghwa Dolmens Gymnasium with her no-fear stance. Veteran Kirstie Elaine Alora also settled for a bronze after a late rally fell short against Seavmey Sorn of Cambodia.
That Sorn eventually won the gold was what hurt Alora the most.
“I feel bad because to me, this was probably the best chance to win an Asian Games gold medal,” Alora said.
Mae Soriano also won a bronze after beating Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani of Indonesia in their third-place match in the -55kg women’s class.
The other bronze medalists were boxers, who people hoped would fight for he gold medal. Mark Anthony Barriga nearly did, but questionable judging cost him a slot in the finals. The livewire light flyweight got to the podium as a losing semifinalist along with Mario Fernandez and Wilfredo Lopez.
Despite the defeat to Shin Jong-hun that many thought he won, Barriga refused to sour grape. Instead, he epitomized the stand of Filipino athletes here in this chilly port city.
“We Filipinos accept things that happen to us,” he said. “When we fall, no matter how many times, we always get up.”
The Philippines tried to change its medal haul on the last day of competitions, but Karateka Gay Mabel Arevalo dropped a 0-8 beating in the 50kg class to Indonesian Sru Nita Sari Sukatendel.
Fifteen athletes, all of them with a story to tell. But their stories won’t end just yet, even if the curtains finally fall on the 17th edition of these Asian Games.