MANILA — Team Philippines wrapped up its boxing campaign at the 3rd Asian Youth Games with pride as Negros Occidental native Leo Mhar Lobrido captured a bronze medal, while weightlifter Jhodie Peralta delivered two more podium finishes to close the country’s campaign on a strong note in Manama, Bahrain.
Lobrido, the country’s boxing flagbearer and lone Filipino left in contention, bowed out in the Boys’ 46-kg semifinals against Abdugani Yorkinjonov of Uzbekistan, who used his height and reach advantage to seize control of the bout with a 3-2 edge in the opening round and a commanding second-round flurry.
Despite the loss, Lobrido — a proud Bago City, Negros Occidental fighter — secured the bronze medal, marking the Philippines’ best finish in boxing at the Games.
Yorkinjonov advanced to the gold medal match against Kazakhstan’s Arman Myrsabit, who blanked Tajikistan’s Damir Nazarov, 5-0.
Other Filipino pugilists fell short of the medal rounds. James Justin Zampatti lost via referee-stopped contest to Uzbekistan’s Diyorbek Murodilloev in the 75-kg division, while Shairylle Porres exited after a quarterfinal loss to Fang-yu Chen of Chinese Taipei. Jefferson Amaya (50kg), John Michael Estorba (54kg), and Ermallie Caballero (50kg) were eliminated in the preliminaries.
Meanwhile, Peralta provided a silver lining for the national delegation with a stellar performance in the Girls’ 57-kg weightlifting category. She clinched silver in the snatch with an 87-kg lift, narrowly missing gold to North Korea’s Hae Yon Pak, whose 88-kg attempt broke both World and Asian Youth records.
“I was so close, but I will strive to improve next time,” Peralta said.
She also secured a bronze in the clean and jerk after successfully lifting 100 kg, finishing behind Pak’s 107 kg and Vietnam’s Lien Y, who placed second with a 188-kg total.
While gold remained elusive, Peralta’s double-medal finish and Lobrido’s boxing bronze stood as testaments to the young Filipinos’ fighting spirit as the curtain fell on the nation’s campaign in Manama./PN
