Labadan stumbles, lands in 8th place 

MANILA, Philippines — Breanna Labadan capped her campaign yesterday by winding up eighth and last in the ball event finals with a score of 28.75 points at the close of the 14th Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. 

 Eyeing a high finish with a superior routine she made several times in practice, Labadan was virtually picture-perfect until she committed a costly error at the end of her stint in the competition organized by the Gymnastics Association of the Philippine (GAP) with support from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

 Uzbek sensation Takhmina Ikromova, who had led her country to retaining the team gold and successfully defended her all-around crown, added two more mints in the meet backed by Taisan, Pastorelli and Qatar Insurance Corp.

 Ikromova bagged the ball event gold with a top score of 34.55 points while compatriots Evelina Atalyants (34.05) and Elzhana Taniyeva (32.70) took the silver and bronze, respectively. 

 In a closely-fought contest, she also took the hoop gold (34.35) at the expense of Kazakhstan›s Taniyeva Alzhana (32.50) while China›s Wang Zilu (32.5) settled for the bronze in the tournament also backed by Sofitel, Hotel 101 and Milo.  

  After a much-needed vacation with her family, Labadan will return on July 20 to Budapest, Hungary to resume training for the world meet scheduled Aug. 23 to 27 in Valencia, Spain, according to the Hungarian coach.