Wheelchair 3×3 cagers pocket first PH medal

The Philippines’ Alfie Cabanog scores off a Thailand double team. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Team Philippines scooped up its first medal in the 11th Asean Para Games on Sunday after its gallant 3X3 men’s wheelchair team settled for the silver following a 22-12 loss to Thailand at GOR Sritex Arena in Surakarta, Indonesia.

The Filipinos succumbed to the Thais’ lethal outside shooting as Aekkasit Jumjarean swished a pair of long-range bombs and Kwanchai Pimkorn dropped another to give Thailand a 6-0 lead that the Filipinos never came close to overhauling.

Still, it was a good start for the PH contingent made up of 144 total athletes.

“Thailand is really known for its outside shooting and although we prepared for it, we did not expect them to be that hot early,’’ said national coach Vernon Perea.

The Thais actually scored a 21-7 win over the Filipinos in group play.

“We are very happy to secure the first medal for the Philippines and thankful for the opportunity and hope that this will spark our drive for more medals,’’ said Perea.

The PH women’s squad wasn’t as lucky after Laos held the Filipino lasses scoreless, 4-0, in the bronze-medal face-off, which came before Cambodia pulled off a 7-5 upset of Thailand in the finals.

Team Philippines got off to a good start in chess as Fide Master Sander Severino, National Master (NM) Henry Roger Lopez and NM Jasper Rom defeated their separate rivals in the opening round of the men’s individual standard P1 at the Lo-rin Hotel.

Severino and Lopez defeated Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Quan and Nguyen Than Tuan while Rom also secured his first full point in the competition against Chea Sideth of Cambodia.

Over at the UNS Sports Center, Myanmar got the better of the Philippines in goalball, 16-11, while their men’s sitting volleyball counterparts lost in straight sets, 9-25, 8-25, 11-25, to Cambodia. INQ