Tolentino: Target is podium finish

HANOI – It’s the final overall standing, and not the number of medals that will define the Philippine campaign in the 31st Southeast Asian Games.

“Yes, podium,” said an optimistic Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino yesterday.

He came to the Ha Dong District Sporting Hall to watch Johann Chua win the all-Filipino 9-ball singles final against Carlo Biado.

Tolentino joined the awarding ceremony, and beamed with pride watching two Filipino cue artists on the podium.

Then the cycling chief and newly elected Tagaytay City mayor gave reporters a bigger picture of the country’s overall campaign.

As of noon yesterday, the Philippines was running third overall with 36 gold, 41 silver and 52 bronze medals.

Host Vietnam understandably is ahead of the pack at 105-67-64 followed by Thailand, the all-time leader in the SEA Games, at 43-47-65.

Tolentino said Team Philippines should be happy where it is right now but isn’t counting out a runner-up finish just yet.

“Maganda na ‘yan nasa third and still trying to get second. Madami pa tayo pagkukunan ng medals,” he said, mentioning esports, boxing, basketball (5x5), wrestling, taekwondo, weightlifting and even tennis as possible sources.

“And madaming upsets. Yung bodybuilding, kickboxing, dancesports na on the first day 1-of-six tayo and sa second four-of-six. Malaki rin ang nabawas sa 3x3, volleyball and golf,” he said.

In 2019 back home, the Philippines secured the overall title for the second time with a giant medal haul of 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals.

But Team Philippines can’t even come close to those numbers considering that the host country has scratched dozens of events that the Filipinos dominated in 2019.

Team Philippines headed to this Vietnamese capital not knowing where to get 47 gold medals lost in the absence of arnis, which delivered 14 golds in Manila; obstacle sports and skateboarding with six each; soft tennis and sailing with three each; modern pentathlon, windsurfing, surfing, sambo and wakeboarding with two each; and baseball, softball, lawn bowls, rugby sevens and squash with one each.

Tolentino would rather look forward to the last five days of this edition that was postponed from December last year due to the pandemic.

“Ma-maintain lang natin yung third, okay na. And kapag mahabol natin ang second, then that’s it,” he said.