FILE – Philippines’ Arnel Mandal (blue) throws down Indonesia’s Pratama Laksamana Pandu (red) during the men’s Sanda 52 kg category in the Wushu competition final in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.– INQUIRER PHOTO/ Sherwin Vardeleon
HANGZHOU, China—Arnel Mandal and Gideon Fred Padua gave Team Philippines a pair of virtual bronze medals in wushu on Tuesday night in men’s sanda at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre here in the 19th Asian Games.
Clemente Tabugara Jr. later made it three assured bronzes after downing Kazakhstan’s Abdusamat Ashirov, 2-0, in the men’s 65kg.
The 27-year-old Mandal, a one-time world champion in the combat event, sent Uzbekistan’s Jamshidbek Guliboev to the canvas twice and scored on kicks and multiple punches to prevail, 2-0, in the quarterfinals of their 56kg clash.
Mandal, who ruled the men’s 52kg during the 2015 World Sanda Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, will meet Kyrgyzstan’s Avazbek Amanbekov in the semifinals on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old Amanbekov subdued Thailand’s Thongchai Huanak, 2-0, in the other quarterfinal pairing.
FILE – The Philippines’ Gideon Fed Padua (blue) fights against Vietnam’s Bui Truong Giang (red) during the men’s Sanda 60 kg category in the Wushu competition final in the 30th Southeast Asian Games. INQUIRER PHOTO/ Sherwin Vardeleon
Padua, meanwhile, toppled Turkmenistan’s Agajumageldi Yazymov, 2-0, in the men’s 60kg quarterfinal, setting up a semifinal against South Korea’s Kim Minsoo.
The 28-year-old Tabugara, the 2019 SEA Games champion, arranged a semis showdown with Indonesia’s Samuel Marbun.
Mandal, Padua and Tabugara brightened up the mood for a Philippine team that ended the day without a medal added to its reserve.
Surviving Wednesday’s semifinals will propel the trio to the gold-medal fights come Thursday.
So far, only two bronzes were collected by Filipino athletes courtesy of Patrick King Perez in taekwondo men’s individual poomsae and wushu artist Jones Inso in the men’s taijiquan-taijijian all-around.