SEA Games: PH beach spikers bring home bronze medals

Filipino volleybelles Cherry Ann Rondina (front) and Bernadeth Pons (behind) hold their ground against Thailand’s Varapatsorin Radarong and Khanttha Hongpak at the Beach VolleyballDecember 3, 2019. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Missing the chance to play for gold, the Philippine men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams ended their sojourn in the 30th Southeast Asian Games with a pair of bronze medals at the expense of Singapore Friday night.

Jaron Requinton and Jude Garcia downed Ray Meng Trevis Tan and Kingsley Tai, 25-23, 21-13, to wrap up the men’s campaign on a positive note.

“We wanted this medal so badly that we made it our motivation to win,’’ said Requinton after finishing off the Singaporeans in their tight battle for third.

James Buytrago and Requinton initially lost to the Singaporean tandem of Tai and Fan Yang Shen, 20-22, 22-20, 15-7, before the Filipinos forced a decider with a 21-14, 21-14 triumph courtesy of Edmar Bonono and Garcia.

It was a fitting ending to the Filipino beach spikers stint after the women’s squad composed of Sisi Rondina, Bernadeth Pons, Dzi Gervacio and Dij Rodriguez grabbed the bronze also from Singapore in two games.

The men’s team claimed a medal for the first time in these Games while the women’s squad had not secured a medal of any color since winning the gold in the 2005 Manila SEA Games.

Rondina and Pons bested Serene Ng and Ee Shan Lau, 21-17, 21-13, before Gervacio and Rodriguez pulled off a 21-18, 21-16 victory over Eliza Chong and Gladys Lee.