SEA Games: Shooter averts shutout for PH

SINGAPORE—Practical shooter Elvie Baldivino saved the day for the Philippines just when it seemed like the Filipinos were headed for a gold-medal shutout on Monday.

Confident and with nerves of steel, Baldivino shot 230 points highlighted by nine perfect hits to rule shooting’s women’s individual precision pistol event at the 28th Southeast Asian Games here.

READ: SEA Games: Baldivino wins gold in shooting for PH

The 34-year-old from Buguey, Cagayan Valley, defeated Singapore’s Norizan Mustafa by two points in the finals at National Shooting Center here after pumping 24 rounds at a 50-yard target.

“Being relaxed helped me focus on the target,” said Baldivino, an enlisted personnel of the elite Philippine Naval Special Operations Group.

Baldivino, in her first international stint since finishing second in a similar shootfest here back in 2007, also joined forces with Franchelle Shayne Quiroz and Carmelita Guillermo for the silver (1,700 points) in the women’s precision pistol team event won by Thailand with 1723 on 61 perfect hits.

Baldivino’s victory was a breath of fresh air for the embattled delegation which has no other golden prospect Monday save for women’s billiards.

Cue artists Rubilen Amit and Chezka Centeno assured the country of a gold after forging an all-Filipino finals in the 9-ball pool with lopsided victories in the semifinals.

Amit downed Burma’s Aung Aye Mi, 7-2, after the 15-year-old Centeno dazzled the crowd with a masterful 7-5 victory over Thailand’s Chitcomnart Siraphat.

“It’s great, we’re so happy to be in the finals,” said the 33-year-old Amit.

The twin semifinal triumphs made it two-for-two for the Philippines in pool events after Warren Kiamco and Carlo Biado picked up the gold in the men’s 9-ball doubles Sunday.

READ: Kiamco, Biado nail 9-ball doubles gold

The Philippines also sent five boxers to the finals, led by three-time SEA Games champion Josie Gabuco who overwhelmed her Singaporean rival and Ian Clark Baustista who knocked out Thongbang Seuphom of Laos in the 1:13 mark of the second round (See story below).

Flyweight Irish Magno later joined them in the gold-medal round with a stunning 2-0 win over defending champion Sopida Satumrum of Thailand.

With still four more boxers gunning for spots in the finals, the Filipinos stand on the threshold of surpassing their three-gold output in the 2013 Burma Games.
READ: PH bets Gabuco, four others enter SEA Games boxing finals https://sports.inquirer.net/183586/ph-bets-gabuco-four-others-enter-sea-games-boxing-finals

Unlike Gabuco, wushu artist Daniel Parantac could not escape the perceived homecourt advantage of his Singaporean foe.

A day after winning the men’s optional taijijian, the 24-year-old Parantac narrowly lost the gold to Singaporean Tze Yuan Lee (9.71 points) in the optional taijiquan.

Parantac missed his third gold medal in the SEA Games by a hairline (9.70). Indonesia’s Fredy Fredy placed third (9.69).

Jasmine Alkhaldi settled for the bronze medal in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, the same event she ruled two years ago in Burma only to settle for third in the re-swim ordered by SEA Games officials.

“It’s OK, I did my best time,” said Alkhaldi, who clocked 56.10 seconds in the race won by Singapore’s Quah Ting Wen in a record time of 55.93 seconds. Quah bested her own 2009 mark of 56.03. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Anh placed third in 56.05.

The Philippines remained stuck in seventh place (7-12-23), a notch below Burma (9-13-16).

Singapore (39-27-47) showed the way followed by Vietnam (26-12-30) and Thailand (23-29-26).

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