CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SEA GAMES POOL
KUALA LUMPUR—Cyclist Azizulhasni Awang gave host Malaysia its 111th goal medal late Monday, allowing the host country to meet its target and serving as a fitting backdrop to the failed Philippine campaign in the 29th Southeast Asian Games here.
Pencak silat gave the country’s gasping bid some ray of light, with Dines Dumaan going through the wringer for a gold medal Tuesday.
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But the gold will not rescue sports officials from the rubble of yet another gloomy bid in the biennial meet.
By any measure, officials missed their mark despite a dramatic stand by the country’s national athletes. From a 50-gold projection, the country was left to target a better haul than the last SEA Games in Singapore.
But even that 29-gold count now seems like a luxury.
READ: Can Team PH go beyond 50 golds?
A newcomer in the SEA Games, the Roxas City native was overweight by two kilos prior to the start of competition Sunday, according to pencak silat chief Princess Jacel Kiram.
“He’s a very hardworking athlete with a lot of promise,” said Kiram of Dumaan who won a bronze during the Asian Beach Games last year.
It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the missed opportunities.
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Cycling, which Malaysia used to meet its projected gold count, didn’t produce any victories for the Philippines despite the sport dangling 20 golds in BMX, track and road races.
Olympian Daniel Caluag was the only one who went home with a medal in the sport, a bronze in his favorite BMX event.
READ: Caluag fails to defend BMX title, settles for bronze
Shooting also failed to snare a single gold, gaining only a bronze in 14 events of the sport.
But swimming has to be the biggest disappointment. Despite being one of the most funded associations this year, swimming went home without a gold.
READ: PH wins bronze in women’s 50m rifle for shooting’s 1st medal
In fact, the country has no gold to show in swimming in the last two editions of the SEA Games despite the sport offering 38 golds.
The sport’s best performer was 24-year-old James Deiparine, who won silvers in the 100m and 50m breaststroke.
READ: Two bronze medals for PH swimming star Alkhaldi