Philippines’ flagbearer Jordan Clarkson leads the delegation during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games at the Gelora Bung Karno main stadium in Jakarta on August 18, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN
JAKARTA—The men’s and women’s poomsae teams lost in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon and settled for bronze medals that put the Philippines on the medal tally of the Asian Games that got off in earnest after jaw-dropping opening ceremonies the night before for its 18th edition.
A long production number featuring the athletes and artists that have put host Indonesia on the sporting and entertainment maps highlighted the two-hour show.
After being part of the glitz of the proceedings, Filipino athletes buckled down to work.
Dustin Jacob Mella, Jeordan Dominguez and Rodolfo Reyes Jr. bowed to a Chinese trio in the men’s event, 8.180-7.830, to head to the door after the semifinals, before the female trio of Janna Oliva, Rinna Babanto and Juvenile Faye Crisostomo suffered the same fate at the hands of Korea, 8.020-7.110.
Still, it was a good start for the Philippine contingent, which missed some athletes in the opening ceremonies after they opted to rest to prepare for crucial games the following day.
The women’s volleyball team was among those who skipped the ceremonies, but still couldn’t stop a dominating performance by world-rated Thailand, bowing, 25-22, 25-12, 25-15, in its first game back at this level since 1982.
Team Philippines couldn’t sustain a 9-2 start and lost after over 70 minutes, winning just 27 points in the last two sets with faulty reception, several service errors and its failure to solve the unrelenting Thai defense.
Next up for the volleybelles are the Japanese, another regional force, on Tuesday.
“Hopefully our performance improves against Japan,” coach Shaq delos Santos said.
Gilas Pilipinas joined the opening parade and its foremost star, Jordan Clarkson, carried the flag for the delegation.
The cagers were back in their elements and had a two-hour practice at Plaza Festival gym as they prepare for a mammoth clash with gold medal favorite China, also on Tuesday.
And while all these were happening, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) issued a statement blasting the University of the East College of Dentistry for supposedly not giving cyclist Marella Salamat permission to compete despite being a bright medal prospect.
“The decision of UE is deplorable,” POC president Ricky Vargas said in the statement, although there were reports later in the day that claimed it was Salamat’s decision not to join the Games to avoid falling too far behind in her academics.
In Palembang, shooter Hagen Tolentino hit all 25 targets in each of his last two rounds and finished with 71 points, tying for third with six foreigners in the trap event at Jakabaring Sport City.
The 28-year-old Tolentino, sharp in the final two rounds, will have a good momentum heading into the final two rounds of classification Monday as he tries to erase a one-point gap with joint leaders Sandhu Singh of India and Pakistan’s Aamer Iqbal.
Jeson Patrombon took two victories in tennis on a sweltering afternoon, winning his opening singles match against Timor Leste’s Nazario Guzmao, 6-1, 6-0, before teaming up with Francis Casey Alcantara for a 6-4, 6-2 doubles victory over Qatar’s Jabar Al-Matuwa and Mubarak Zayid.
Patrombon will clash with 12th-ranked Wu Yibing of China, while his partnership with Alcantara will battle No. 4 Chen-Ti and Peng Shin-Yin of Chinese Taipei.
The top-ranked mixed doubles pair of Khamran Kaur Thandy and Divij Sharan of India, meanwhile, sent Alberto Lim Jr.-Jade Capadocia pair to the showers after a 6-4, 6-4 win.