60-gold mark breached

We were really having fun and that’s what skating is all about.

Aerial euphoria Fencer Jylyn Nicanor gets a victory toss after snaring the gold in the women’s individual sabre in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in a dramatic comeback over Indonesia’s Diah Permatasari. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG @tribunephl_dvd

CAPAS CITY — Team Philippines reached the 60-gold mark as skateboarding, judo and sambo delivered more than half of the host nation’s nine-gold haul in Day 5 of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games competition.

Margielyn Didal and Fil-Am skater Daniel Ledermann ruled the women’s and men’s Game of Skate event at the Tagaytay City Extreme Sports Complex.

The 2018 Asian Games gold medalist beat compatriot Christiana Means in the final, while Ledermann defeated the 12-year-old Indonesian skater Basral Huotomo in their gold-medal face-off.

“We were really having fun and that’s what skating is all about,” Didal said.

Shugen Nakano (men’s -66kg) and Kiyomi Watanabe (women’s -63kg) produced the first two gold medals of the country after beating their respective foes at the Laus Group Event Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Watanabe outclassesed Myanmar’s Chu Myat Noe Wai with an ippon, while Nakano needed a last-minute ippon in the closing seconds against Indonesia’s Budi Prasetiyo to secure the country’s first gold in judo.

Sambo also produced two golds for Team Philippines courtesy of Mark Striegl (men’s combat -74kg) and Chino Tancontian (82kg).

Filipina cyclist Jermyn Prado gave the host country the first gold of the day after ruling the individual time trial with the time of 44 minutes and 44.72 seconds, edging Singapore’s Luo Wiyei (44:48.518) and Thailand’s Phedtarin Somrat (44:48.152), who settled for silver and bronze, respectively.

“I gave everything in the race. In my mindset, there’s no more tomorrow,” said Prado after ruling the 21-kilometer race that started in Nasugbu and ended up at the Praying Hands in Tagaytay.

It was Prado’s first stint in the SEA Games, making her feat more special.

Princess Arbilon and Samuel German (modern pentathlon relay), and Jylyn Nicanor (fencing, women’s individual sabre) also added a gold each in the Philippine haul, which now stood at 63-45-34 (gold-silver-bronze) as of this writing.

Vietnam remained at second with 31-35-41, followed by Indonesia (27-36-39), Singapore (26-19-29), Malaysia (23-16-24), Thailand (16-22-30), Myanmar (2-8-23), Cambodia (2-3-17), Brunei (1-5-5) and Laos (0-2-10).

Nicanor beat Indonesia’s Diah Permatasi, 10-6, in the second bout to bounce back from a 5-10 loss in the first bout to take the gold.

“They didn’t pressure me to win the medal. They just told me to enjoy the game,” the 27-year- old Nicanor said.

Arbilon and German clocked in 13:27.34 to beat their Thai counterparts, who finished with the time of 13:28.32.

The women’s 6×6 underwater hockey team, Nestor Dinopolo (benchcrest air rafle heavy varmint) and the Philippine’s sendi ganda doubles in pencak silat delivered silver medals for the country yesterday.

Bronzes were aplenty for Team Philippines yesterday including the women’s 4×200 relay team of Remedy Rule, Jasmine Alkhaldi, Nicole Oliva and Xiandi Chua at the New Clark City Aquatics Center here.

Meanwhile, the Philippine women’s basketball squad opened its campaign with a huge 63-56 win over Indonesia at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Rowing and canoe-kayaking finally resume today and try to add to the medal haul of the host nation.

With both events postponed due to typhoon “Tisoy,” canoe-kayak starts today at the Malwaan Park, while rowing unfurls at the Triboa Bay, both Subic, Zambales.

Canoe-kayak head coach Len Escollante who is eyeing at least three golds for her team, likes the country’s chances in the 100-meter and 200-meter mixed standard board and the 500-meter men’s. Rowing also seeks three to five gold medals for the country.