Sailing gold in SEA Games halts 10-year PH drought

The gold medal won by the trio of top sailor Ridgely Balladares, Richly Magsanay and Rommel Chavez in sailing’s male match racing keelboat event in the recent 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore is the country’s first in the biennial competition in a decade.

Managed by Magsanay, a computer engineer at Standard Insurance, the sailing trio is also part of the team that mans the multi-titled sloop Standard Insurance Centennial III.

Balladares, Magsanay and Chavez improved on the silver-medal finish recorded by another PH trio in the 2013 SEA Games in Burma (Myanmar).

Philippine Sailing Association head Judes Echauz said the last time the country won a gold in the sport was in the 2005 Manila SEA Games.

The sloop Standard Insurance Centennial III swept the recent Commo-dore’s Cup Regatta 2015 at Subic Bay Freeport and bagged the overall title in the combined Subic-to-Boracay Race and Boracay Cup Regatta 2015 in Aklan.