Filipino bet Gerald Verosil wound up in 18th place and missed the cut in the speed event of sport climbing, which is making its debut in the 2018 Asian Games at Jakabaring Sports City in Palembang, Indonesia.
The Singapore-based Verosil scaled the 37-foot man-made wall in 10.66 seconds on his first try then clocked 7.95 seconds on his second attempt.
His time, however, was not enough to catapult him into the knockout round. China’s Zhong Qizin had the fastest time of 5.82 seconds topped the eliminations round, edging Iranian runner-up Ali Pour Reza (5.83).
The 17-year-old Verosil still relished the opportunity to don the country’s colors despite the results.
“It is really an honor (for me) to represent the country in the Asian Games. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.”
Verosil, though, has a chance to bounce back in the bouldering event, which is his forte, scheduled Friday.