BANGKOK, Thailand --- Filipino shooters hit their marks, Elreen Ando had a golden lift, while a pair of track stars put on a show in Team Philippines’ most productive day in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games here.
Ando reasserted her supremacy in the region with lifts of 98 kilograms in the snatch and 127 in the clean and jerk for a total of 229 to claim the women’s 63-kg event gold.
The 27-year-old Cebuana bagged her second mint in the biennial meet, having previously won in the 2023 Cambodia edition in the 59-kg category.
Ando, bronze medalist in last October’s World Championship, had anxious moments in the snatch, barely lifting 96 and 98 on her first two attempts before finishing with 102.
In the clean and jerk, Ando had a no lift on her first attempt at 123 but looked untroubled on the second try on the same weight to essentially seal the gold. Ando added four more kilos in her final attempt for good measure.
“I guess I got it on the first attempt. The first lift is the hardest because of the nerves and things that get in your head thinking how you’ll get your lift,” she said.
“In the second attempt, I told myself I can lift that since I’m already lifting that much during training,” the Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medalist said on her first few lifts.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Tien of Vietnam won the silver with 98-121-219, while Thanaporn Saetia of Thailand wound up with the bronze with a lift of 98-120-218.
At the Eastern National Sport Training Center in Chonburi, World champion Rolly Nathaniel Tecson led three other marksmen with golden hits.
The IPSC Handgun World Shoot champion ruled the standard division event of the competition, where participants went through 18 stages in the span of three days.
Also winning mints were Edcel Gino (production optics), Erin Matter Nicor (open division women) and Genesis Pible (production optics women).
At the Suphachalasi National Stadium, Hussein Lorana pocketed gold in the men’s 800-meter race.
He clocked in 1:48.80 to leave local bet Joshua Robert Atkinson (1:49.94) and Malaysian Wan Muhhamad Fazri Wan Zahari (1:49.85) eating his dust.
Sixteen-year-old Naomi Cesar, on the other hand, reigned supreme in the women’s 800m.
Cesar is the sister of Filipinas member Malea, who will vie for gold in women’s football.
Team Philippines hiked its gold medal haul to 25 to go with 33 silver and 74 bronze in fifth place in the medal standings as of 8 p.m. Monday.
Host Thailand collected 138-82-54 gold-silver-bronze medals and remained unshakable in the top spot with just five days left before regional meet closes.
Indonesia (51-60-56) stayed at second followed by Vietnam (37-39-67) and Singapore (28-31-36).
Meanwhile, Alas Pilipinas women’s beach volleyball team will vie for the gold medal for the first time after beating Vietnam, 2-0, at the Jomtien Beach Arena in Pattaya.
The Philippine women’s beach volleyball team picked up their fourth victory in as many outings after the sweep of Vietnam to clinch a finals berth with still one match to go.
Alas, bannered by Sisi Rondina, Bernadeth Pons, Dij Rodriguez and Sunnie Villapando, closes the eliminations against Thailand on Wednesday in a virtual preview of the gold medal match to be played on Friday.
However, Alas women’s indoor counterpart failed to end a 20-year medal drought after bowing to Indonesia, 26-28, 25-13, 28-30, 24-26, in the battle for bronze at the Indoor Stadium Huamark.