Asian Winter Games: Filipino edge Kazakhs for first curling win
MANILA, Philippines — Brothers Marc and Enrico Pfister spearheaded the Philippines’ 4-1 victory over Kazakhstan Monday for its first win in curling’s men’s team event of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China.
The Filipino-Swiss siblings joined forces with Alan Frei and Christian Haller in delivering the country’s first triumph over Kazakhs Abylaikhan Zhuzbay, Aidos Alliyar, Adil Zhumagozha and Yermek Mussainov, which also made up for their 6-1 defeats over the South Koreans the day before.
The Filipino curlers will shoot for a second win in a row versus Kyrgyzstan later tonight and gun for another one against Taiwan Tuesday, which should keep them in medal contention.
The Kathleen Dubberstein-paced women’s squad, in contrast, suffered its first defeat in three starts — a heartbreaking 6-4 setback to Japan.
The team, which also has Leilani Sumbillo An, Sheila Mariano and Anne Bonache, won its first two matches against Hong Kong, 7-2, and Qatar, 13-1, Sunday.
They hope to finish in the top four of the nine-team field to punch a semis ticket and should go all out for more wins versus Qatar last night, Kazakhstan and Thailand today and mighty China and South Korea tomorrow.
Newly naturalized Russian-born figure skater Aleksandr Korovin will finally get to officially debut as a Filipino as he teams up with Isabella Gamez in the pair skating program at the HIC Multifunctional Hall Tuesday.
Same with freestyle skier Laetaz Amiha Rabe in the women’s freeski slopestyle event against a field that has Japanese champion Kiho Sugarawa and countryman Kanon Kondo, and Chinese Han Linshan, Liu Mengting and Yang Ruyi at the Freeski Slopestyle Stadium in Yabuli
“We are excited and honored to be here representing the Philippines. We are confident with our training leading up to this, as we keep the same mentality for every competition we go to, and we will continue to do the same for Harbin,” said Gamez.
“It’s a tough field but I am ready for tomorrow’s competition. I hope all goes well,” Rabe, for his part, said.
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