Asiad gold

In my last column, I mentioned that weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz was our best bet for a gold medal in the ongoing Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Well, it’s mission accomplished for Hidilyn as she won the gold in the 53 kg women’s division beating her Turkish and Thai competitors who settled for second and third respectively.  But the biggest surprise came from golf.  Yuka Saso won the gold medal in the individual golf with a come from behind victory while leading the Philippines to another gold in the team event.  Bianca Pagdaganan added another bronze. In women’s marathon, our bet Cebuano Mary Joy Tabal could’nt do better but place 11th in a field of 19 runners. The 2016 SEAS Games champion who clocked 2:51:41, said humidity was just too much.  But even from the start, Tabal’s best time of 2:43:31 was a far cry from the clocking of the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese runners.  But wait a minute, the champion represented Bahrain which is not a marathon power. Guess again, the Bahrainis naturalized Kenyan world champion Rose Chelimo who won in 2:34:51. Japanese Keiko Nogami came in second in 2:36:27 while Kim Hye Song settled for third in 2:37:20.  As I always say, our long distance runners are only good up to the SEA Games.  So let’s stop dreaming of podium finish in the Asiad and Olympics.

As I write this column, the country has already won three gold medals, that’s a great improvement from the lone gold we won in the 2014 Asiad in Incheon, South Korea.  Congratulations guys, for not bringing home the hard-boiled eggs.

Sy Mah

A Toledo, Ohio runner who often rantwo or three marathons on a weekend, finished 524 races longer than26 miles before his death from cancer at age 62 in 1988.

Tribute to grandparents

Some of Cebu’s top singers will be at the Robinsons Fuente Activity  Center on September 9 to pay tribute to the grandparents. The show that startsat 5pm dubbed “Elvis and Sinatra Salute the Grandparents, will feature Raffy Uytiepo the Elvis of the Visayas, Jhun Villahermosa the Frank Sinatra of Cebu, Herbert Buot, the Perry Como of Cebu, novelty singer June Villarta and Aliw Awardee Amie Filomeno of “Handurawan”.  Veteran broadcaster and TV personality Sam  Costanilla will host the show. Don’t forget it’s a free concert!

Did you know?

Boston Marathon, the oldest in the world, had only 15 runners in the race held on April 19, 1897 from Suburban Hopkinton to downtown Boston. Today Boston attracts over 25,000 runners despite qualifying requirements.

Note: Congratulations to my rehab doctor Renald Ramiro for winning the 5k employee category of the 13th University Run of the Cebu Doctors Anniversary. Doc Ren is a veteran runner having finished several runs including a half-marathon. He was also instrumental in organizing the MOVE RUN series in the cities of Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod and Manila. Doc Ren is currently monitoring my rehab sessions to correct my aging leg injuries.