Four athletes from Western Visayas delivered gold and silver medals on the third day of the 30th Southeast Asian Games hosted in the country.
True-blooded Ilonggo Francisco Solis made emphatic return in the international arena after a golden victory against Indonesia’s Yusuf Widiyantu in the men’s wushu sanda 56-kg division.
Solis showed a sluggish start in the early going but found his momentum later on to dismantle Widiyantu en route to the gold medal finish.
Ilonggo wushu artist Arnel Mandal also stamped his class in the biennial tournament after blasting Indonesia’s Pandu Laksamana to salvage a gold medal in the men’s sanda 52-kg division.
Another Ilonggo bet Jessie Aligaga impressed the crowd with his superb executions which outformed Ade Permana of Indonesia in the men’s 48-kg gold medal match. Aligaga kept the judges’ favor by his side throughout the match.
En route to their respective gold medal finishes in the sanda event (Chinese kickboxing), Aligaga pounded Permana Ade of Indonesia, Mandal downed Pratama Laksamana of Indonesia, and Solis eked-out Widiyanto Yusuf of Indonesia.
The third day of the competition was a surprised after Kalibo, Aklan native Marie Francine Padios bagged the silver medal in the women’s tunggal event of pencak silat.
The 16-year-old Akeanon rubbed elbows with her idol Puspa Arum Sari of Indonesia, who snatched the gold medal.
Being the youngest among a field of battle-tested competitors, Padios was a last minute replacement after a teammate withdrew due to an injury during their training.
The Grade 10 daughter of a lawyer and businesswoman is also a SEA Games first timer. With her excellent firmness and accuracy, she accumulated 454 points compared to Sari’s 467 points. On the other hand, Anisah Najihah Binti Adbullah of Brunei captured the bronze with 451 points
Padios, who is also a member of the junior national squad, is expected to be elevated to the elite team.IMT
