Yulo strikes again

Gymnasts, jumper, tanker, netters account for 6 golds

PHNOM PENH – Carlos Yulo capped the “Caloy Yulo Show” with a gold and a silver, leading a three-gold gymnastics haul that keyed a six-gold collection for Team Philippines in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games yesterday.

Fresh from his three-peat in the Individual All-Around, Yulo captured the parallel bars mint to make up for his runner-up finish in still rings and join newly-minted winners John Ivan Cruz (floor exercise) and Juancho Miguel Besana (vault) in the day’s honor roll.

Hours later, 17-year-old swimmer Teia Salvino shattered the SEAG mark in ruling the women’s 100m backstroke, long jumper Janry Ubas scored a personal breakthrough and the Philippine women’s soft tennis team dominated their event to add to the day’s harvest.

Salvino swam 1:01.64 to finish No. 1 over Singapore’s Faith Elizabeth Khoo (1:03.68) and Indonesia’s Angel Gabriella Rus (1:03.71), along the way erasing the old 1:01.89 mark set by Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Anh Vie in the Philippine edition.

Ubas, meanwhile, ended years of futility that started in 2015 when he triumphed at 7.85 meters against Vietnam’s Tien Trong Nguyen (7.66) and Indonesia’s Sapwaturrahman Sapwaturrahman (7.62).

Christy Sanosa, Fatima Amirul, Noelle Zoleta Manalac, Princess Catindig and Virvienica Bejosano bested their Indonesian rivals for the women’s soft tennis team tiara, 3-0.

Overall, Team Philippines hiked its total medal count to 25 golds to go with 38 silvers and 40 bronzes as of 8:30 p.m. The Filipinos were running fourth behind new leader Thailand (38-29-40), host Cambodia (37-36-37) and Vietnam (37-35-46).

Yulo became the first double gold medalist of the 840-strong delegation backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.

But it was the duo of Cruz and Besana who got things started for the Filipinos in the final day of the men’s artistic gymnastics play at the National Olympic Stadium.

Cruz, Yulo’s second cousin, topped the floor exercise with 13.8500, beating Thai Tikumporn Surintornta (13.800) and Indonesian Joseph Judah Hatoguan (13.6000) for his milestone crown.

Besana followed it up with a golden performance in the vault, logging 14.2750 against Surintornta (14.1500) and Vietnam’s Hai Khang Trinh (14.0500).

In between these conquests, Yulo yielded the still rings title after scoring 14.000 in the finale, which was short of the 14.2000 recorded by Vietnam’s Van Khanh Phong Nguyen.

And watching his comrades’ rise to the top gave Yulo the extra push to win his last event, parallel bars, at 14.8500 at the expense of Vietnamese Phuong Thanh Dinh (14.4000).

“Nadismaya ako na hindi ko nakuha (still rings). Naging challenge sa akin yung naka-gold si Ivan at naka-gold si Miguel and ako, gusto ko ring maka-gold today (yesterday) para tatlo yung maiuwi namin,” shared Yulo, who ended this campaign with two gold medals and two silvers.

Woman International Master Shania Mae Mendoza failed to chalk up the victory for Team Philippines in ouk chaktrang chess’ women’s singles 60-minute event.

Mendoza lost to Vietnamese opponent Doan Thi Hong Nhung in the second game of the finals after drawing the first game to kiss her golden bid goodbye.

In women’s football, the Filipinas edged defending champion Vietnam, 2-1, but couldn’t salvage a place in the semifinals after placing third in Group A due to inferior goal difference.

In golf, Paolo Wong failed to recover from a frontside struggle and faltered with a 75, tumbling from joint third to a share of 19th in men’s play, while the ladies tandem of Lois Kaye Go and Rianne Malixi stayed too far behind despite a pair of 68s in the second round.

Although Enrique Dimayuga bounced back strong from an opening 73 with a near-impeccable 68 in hot conditions, the new national team member remained seven strokes adrift of a steady Khanh Hung Le, who broke away from a first-round tie with Malaysian Malcolm Hung with a 65 behind a solid eagle-spiked backside 31.