Rubilen Amit — SEA GAMES POOL
Rubilen Amit will have to accept what the table gives her.
A staple in the medal ceremonies of Southeast Asian (SEA) Games billiards competitions for nearly two decades, Amit will not be able to compete in her pet events—9-ball and 10-ball singles—in this year’s Cambodia hosting of the regional meet.
“For women, these events won’t be played,’’ said Amit, who claimed the gold medals in the 9-ball and 10-ball events of the SEA Games last year in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The first Filipino woman who became a world pool champion also ruled the 9-ball singles and 9-ball doubles with Chezka Centeno during the 2019 SEA Games edition in Manila and got a silver medal behind Centeno in the 10-ball singles.
The 10-time women’s pool gold winner in the 11-nation sportsfest will now try to cash in on other events.
FILE – Rubilen Amit defeats Chezka Centeno 7-5 in the women’s 10-ball finals in the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. SEA GAMES POOL
“I will play in the carom instead. In fact, I’ve been training for quite some time now,’’ said Centeno, who is entered in the one-cushion and three-cushion events during the billiards competitions on May 7 to 14 at J Snooker Hall in Phnom Penh.
Cambodian organizers scratched women’s pool off the list of events, while on the men’s events, retained 9-ball singles and doubles, snooker, english billiards and carom.
Filipino billiards legend Efren “Bata’’ Reyes has been enlisted in the one-cushion and three-cushion of men’s carom together with Francisco dela Cruz.
Reyes brought home a bronze medal with Dela Cruz in the one-cushion carom during the previous Hanoi SEA Games.
“It’s my first time playing carom and I’m hoping to get a medal,’’ said Amit, a two-time women’s world 10-ball champion.
Amit topped the SEA Games 9-ball singles four times and the 10-ball event six times, a streak that began when Manila hosted the biennial Games in 2005.
Centeno ruled the 10-ball singles in 2015 in Singapore before retaining the same title at the 2017 Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.