Windsurfing silver boosts Phl’s hold on 3rd spot

SANYA, China — Dhenver John Castillo cruised to a silver medal triumph in sailing as the Philippines sustained its grip on third place overall Tuesday going into the final day of the 6th Asian Beach Games.

Castillo, who won a gold in last year’s Thailand Southeast Asian Games, added another silver to the country’s medal haul in this resort city by winding up second in the boys’ foil windsurfing event at the Sanya Bay Haihong Square.

Supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee under its President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and the Philippine Sports Commission led by chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, Team Philippines is still running third overall in the official medal list with three gold, three silver, and two bronze medals at press time Tuesday.

Regional neighbor Thailand totes a 7-5-4 haul for second while host China is still in front (15-11-5) in the beach joust in this resort city.

Castillo amassed 39 Net points — tied with Thai Wachirawit Thonup — after a scintillating 13-heat battle but got the silver after the Pinoy bet placed second in the last race.

A 14th race was scrapped for good due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Castillo had two Net points in the final sail and a total of 58 to Thonup’s three (57 total) that clinched it for the lanky windsurfer.

Up against the best in Asia, winning the mint proved to be sweet for Castillo.

“Of course, during training, it’s really hard. You have to persevere,” Castillo said. You really put all your heart into these competitions. My family told me to always be careful, do your best, while my coaches, they said, always stay focused.

“The competition here in China is a bit tough because it’s not just the SEA Games but you are competing against the best in Asia,” he added.

The Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 men and women teams were playing in the quarterfinals at press time Tuesday night at the Sanya Sports Centre Gymnasium.

The Philippine wrestling team is off to a difficult start after losing its opening matches in the round robin of the beach wrestling event at the Sanya Bay Yuhai Club.

The day started strong with Abby Balisme winning in the women’s 60kg knockout matches, frustrating Danielle Lim of Singapore twice via points, 3-1, to claim her spot in the round-robin group matches.

But the wins ended there with Aliah Gavalez and Balisme falling in the women’s Round 1 battles against separate opponents in the 50kg and 60kg divisions, respectively.

Thailand SEA Games bronze medalist Callum Roberts also faltered in his first match against Dadakhon Kurbonaliev of Tajikistan, 3-0, in the men’s +90kg event.

Despite the setbacks, the experience serves as a big learning point for the Philippines, especially with more matches to come.

“Really, it’s a great experience for each and every one of us. The exposure of not just the sport, but the individual athletes. It’s great overall,” Roberts said.