Sports Eye

By September 10, 2018Opinion, Sports Eye

Fruitful PH Asiad stint
By Jesus A. Garcia, Jr.

 

THE 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta and Palembang cities of Indonesia culminated last Sunday (September 2) and our PH athletes brought home four gold, two silver and 15 bronze medals to finish 19th overall in medal tally. As far as I’m concerned, the result was quite a big improvement by our nationals if we compare our performance four years ago in Incheon, South Korea which our country finished an embarrassing 22nd place overall out of 37 nations that participated bringing home only single gold, three silver and 11 bronze medals. The 2014 Incheon Asian Games was our worst performance in this oriental quadrennial meet since we began to participate in 1951. But despite the improved achievements of our nationals, connoisseurs were not yet contented, still fervently criticizing our 19th place overall finish out of 45 states that participated. They say we should be in the top ten, or at least 15th as the lowest.
Well, that’s there right. “Iba’t-ibang tao, iba’t-ibang ulo, kaya’t ibat-ibang prinsipyo,” as the saying goes. Meaning they have their own perception. But I guess they’re wrong. To me, it’s precisely a fruitful stint, simply because they surpassed our 2014 medal harvest and landed three steps higher.

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It’s so sad to know that our young table tennis national athlete Ian Lariba untimely and unexpectedly left this world so early due to the incurable disease they call it ”Big C.” The Rio Olympics veteran Lariba fondly called by his friends and relatives as “Yanyan,” succumbed to acute leukemia last Sunday at young age of 23 after battling her ailment for 16 months. Yes, due to this kind of deadly illness that slowly affected her bone marrow and particularly her blood few months after her 2016 Rio Olympics stint where she carried the Philippine flag during the opening ceremony, it seriously prevented her to don the national color as a member of PH squad in the just concluded 2018 Asian Games.
May the good Lord rest her soul in peace.

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As I write this piece afternoon of September 5, I received two calls from my two reliable sports sources that my town mate (Mangaldan) and the 2018 Le Tour de Filipinas champion Joshua Carino captured the fourth stage of this year’s VTV International Cycling Tour Ton Hoa Sen Cup or better known as “Tour of Vietnam” duplicating the accomplishment of his province mate and teammate Ronald Oranza of Villasis who won the third stage. The 14-day bikathon on its third edition started on September 2 and ends on September 16 with six foreign squads and six local teams covering 1,800 kilometers.
Keep up the good work boys.

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Despite the first loss of our Pangasinan quintet against the highly touted and former UAAP champion National University, 91-96, in a goodwill match held on September 5, still my big congrats for our local squad for a job well-done. This means our locals are tremendously improving being coached by former PBA players Jun Marzan and Christian Calaguio and Urdaneta City well-known mentor Sonny de Jesus. The team was formed by our sports-minded father of the province Gov. Amado I. Espino, III and being supervised by Pangasinan Sports Development and Management Council executive officer Modesto Operania and its deputy Marlon Domalanta. Our locals won three of their four goodwill matches, so far.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: And Jesus Christ said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” JOHN: 8: 51

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