Rio Olympians plunge into action in Asian Beach Games

AP

Raring to represent the country anew, Olympians Marestella Torres-Sunang and Jessie Khing Lacuna banner the Philippine contingent for the upcoming 2016 Asian Beach Games set in Danang, Vietnam from September 24 to October 3.

Fresh from her stint in the Rio Olympics, Torres-Sunang will compete in beach athletics while Lacuna takes part in marathon swimming.

Those are just two of the 11 sports where the 72-man Philippine delegation will compete in the continental meet, where 45 other countries will partake

Finishing with three gold, two silver, and seven bronze medals in 2014 in Phuket, Thailand, chef de mission Karen Caballero admitted that matching the country’s showing two years back will be a tall task for this delegation to surpass.

“It’s a hard record to follow,” she said in the weekly PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate. “But I was once an athlete and now an official, and I hope we’ll be able to follow to footstep of (Ormoc City) Mayor (Richard) Gomez,” she said.

Gomez, a former fencer, served as the country’s chef de mission in 2014.

Caballero, though, bared that the athletes are motivated to deliver in the biennial meet. “No commitment of anything, but we will be doing our best,” she said.

She also pointed out sports like jiu jitsu and sepak takraw as sports where the country has legitimate chances to come away with a gold medal.

Maybeline Madusa and Annie Ramirez delivered two of the country’s three golds in 2014, with sailing Gaylord Coveta providing the other.