MANILA – Ilonggos Arnel Mandal, Francisco Solis and Jessie Aligaga bagged gold medals each in the wushu-sanda events of the 30th Southeast Asian Games late Tuesday night at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
The 23-year-old Mandal, who previously won gold medals in the world stage, ruled the 52-kilogram event by defeating Laksamana Pandu Pratama of Indonesia, 2-0, in the championship round.
The Iloilo City native’s gold medal feat in his weight class was true to his promise that he will go all out in the SEA Games competition as he is contemplating retirement from the sport.
“The SEA Games is the only competition I have not won yet,” Mandal previously said. “I have already won golds in other tournaments so I am really going all out in the SEA Games competition.”
Solis also clinched the gold medal in the 56 kilogram event. He edged out Yusuf Widiyanto of Indonesia, while Aligaga topped the 48-kilogram division by defeating Ade Permana of Indonesia.
Divine Wally also netted a gold medal women’s 48 kilogram sanda after beating Nguyen Thu Trang of Vietnam, while Clemente Tabugara copped the 65 kilogram event by outlasting Thailand’s Kittisak Suksanguan.
Team Philippines, however, was not able to sweep all the six wushu-sanda gold medals at stake as Gideon Fred Padua bowed to Truong Giang Bui of Vietnam in the 60-kilogram event./PN
