Thrilling win for Centeno: ‘I thought I lost the gold’

Chezka Centeno and Rubilen Amit of the Philippines celebrate after winning gold and silver medals, respectively, in the women’s 9-ball singles event of the 29th Southeast Asian Games billiards competition Sunday at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SEA GAMES MEDIA POOL

KUALA LUMPUR — Roommates here and close friends back home, Rubilen Amit and Chezka Centeno vowed that they never, ever, talked about their duel in the final.

“We talked about many things, including the Mayweather-McGregor fight, but no, we didn’t talk about the final match,” said the soft-spoken Centeno in Filipino.

“I was rooting for McGregor, but he lost,” added the back-to-back SEA Games champion from Zamboanga City.

On the pool table Sunday afternoon, she was the winner. But not before a big fright.

“I thought I lost the gold when she also went on a hill. I didn’t expect it to turn out that way,” said Centeno, who edged Amit, 7-6.

READ: Centeno wins gold, Amit settles for silver anew in women’s 9-ball

She said she has learned a lot from the two-time World 10-ball champion.

“Champ (Amit) is a great player,” said said. “I learned a lot from her. Like her safety shots.”

Fortunately for Centeno, Amit didn’t play safe in the 13th rack and gave away a clear table en route to the gold.

READ: ‘Disappointed’ Amit says Centeno deserves the gold

The 18-year-old Centeno came in the spotlight when as an 11-year-old she competed in the Philippine National Games in Dumaguete in 2010.

She went on to become part of the national team, winning gold medal in the 2015 Shanghai Open.

Her career reached another peak when she beat Amit for the gold in the Singapore SEA Games two years ago.