Handball hands silver

Kickboxers set for medal spree

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine beach handball team and kickboxers have clinched at least a silver medal each even as kurash got off to a strong start in the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games yesterday.

Needing a win to snatch the gold, the Filipinos fell short versus the Vietnamese, 2-1, and would settle for the silver regardless of the result of their final game against the winless Singaporeans today.

The team of Daryoush Zandi, Dhane Miguelle Varela, Josef Maximillan Valdez, Rey Joshua Tabuzo, John Michael Pasco, Jamael Pangandaman, Manuel Lasangue Jr., Andrew Michael Harris, Mark Vincent Dubouzet and Van Jacob Baccay thus improved on its bronze finish last time.

Zephania Ngaya, for her part, got the luck of the draw, gaining a sure silver in the women’s 65-kilogram full contact event at the Bac Ninh Provincial Gymnasium.

Ngaya could turn it into gold if she could beat the winner between Vietnam’s Huyinh Thi Aikvee and Thailand’s Jessie Yothawan.

Seven other kickboxers were assured of at least a bronze. They were competing in the semifinals at press time.

Gretel De Paz (-56kg full contact), Caludine Veloso (52kg low kick), Ginia Iniong (60kg low kick) and Renalyn Daquel (-48kg full contact) are lady kickboxers in chase of SEAG glory.

Also securing a bronze were 2019 SEA Games gold medalist Jean Claude Saclag, former mixed martial arts lightweight champion Honorio Banario and Emmanuel Cantores.

In Pencak Silat at the Bac Tu Liem Sporting Hall, Mary Francine Padios was eyeing a medal as she was competing against Vietnam’s Thi Binh Vuong in the semis of the women’s artistic tunggal single event.

In kurash at the Hoai Duc District Sporting Hall, Charmea Kingay Quelino ousted Noelle Grandjean of Thailand, 1-0, in the women’s 52kg class and Helenh Aclopen walloped another Thai Duangdara Kumlert, 1-0, in the 48kg to jumpstart their medal hopes.

Not as fortunate was Renzo Miguel Cazenas Castro, who was defeated by hometown bet Hien Tran Thanh, 1-0 in the men’s -81kg division.

The Philippine Under-23 Azkals suffered a stinging 3-2 loss to Myanmar to fall from the top in Group A of the football tourney over at the Viet Tri Stadium.

The U23 Azkals held an early 2-1 lead but conceded back-to-back goals to Lwin Moe Aung and Soe Moe Kyaw in the second half en route to their first loss after a 4-0 rout of Timor Leste and a fighting 0-0 draw with holder Vietnam.

With the Pinoy booters stuck at four points in a tie with the idle Vietnamese, the Burmese wrested No. 1 with six points on two wins.

The unfortunate defeat put the U23 Azkals in a must-win situation against Indonesia on Friday to have a crack at the semifinals.

Myanmar actually drew first blood against the Philippines with Win Naing Tun scoring just a minute and 17 seconds into the match.

It would take the Filipinos 32 minutes to get the equalizer with veteran Jovin Bedic on the connecting end of a headed pass by Oli Bias off a corner. Four minutes later, Bias won a penalty kick for the Philippines that Bedic converted for the go-ahead.

Aung knotted it again with his glancing header at the 51st minute before Kyaw slotted in the winner in the face of the goal at the 54th.

Meanwhile, the Filipinas brace for a dogfight against defending women’s football champion and host Vietnam tonight over at the Cam Pha Stadium.

The Filipinas primed up for the 8 p.m. (Manila time) marquee duel with the debuting Vietnamese with a comprehensive 5-0 whitewashing of Cambodia Monday. A good result against the home side, a fellow FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier, will formally hand the wards of Australian coach Alen Stajcic a return trip to the semis as one of the Top 2 teams from Group A.

“I think they (Vietnam) improved significantly and became a really good team, probably the best team in Southeast Asia so we’ve got a lot of respect for them,” said Stajcic. “We’re an improving, emerging nation. But we’re definitely gonna give them a good fight on Wednesday.”

It will be a rematch of the two squad’s Final Four entanglement in the 2019 edition in Manila, where Vietnam scored a 2-0 victory.