PHNO-SP: AT THE OLYMPICS: HOW THE PHILIPPINES' HOPES FARED

AT THE OLYMPICS: HOW THE PHILIPPINES' HOPES
FARED
[PHOTO -Mark Barriga
(left) and Manuel Cappai of Italy exchange blows during their Light Flyweight
boxing match on July 31 in London. Barriga was awarded a 17-7 points decision.
AFP PHOTO]
MANILA, AUGUST 13,
2012 (MANILA TIMES) The Philippine contingent to the London
Olympics was composed of 11 athletes. Some were expected to perform well, and
perhaps win a medal. Others were admittedly longshots. The Filipino Olympians of
2012 are as follows:
Mark Anthony Barriga Boxing (men's light flyweight) Mark Anthony
Barriga was tagged as the country's brightest hope in the 2012 London Olympic
Games, but the 19-year-old Panabo City pride failed to make it to the medal
round as he absorbed a controversial 16-17 defeat at the hands of the
experienced Birzhan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan in their round-of-16 bout. The
Filipino boxer started his bid with a smashing 17-7 victory over Italian Manuel
Cappai in the opening round before facing Zhakypov.
Daniel Caluag Cycling (men's BMX) Filipino-American Daniel Caluag, the
only Asian participant in the 32-man strong field, was also hyped as one of the
top contenders in his pet event, having won a couple of titles in the US.
Caluag, however, missed the cut and finished dead last in Heat 3 with a total
score of 29 points.
Marestella Torres Athletics (women's long jump) Former Asian long jump
queen Marestella Torres honestly admitted she needs a miracle to earn at least a
bronze medal in the Olympics. True enough, when the Beijing Games veteran wound
up 22nd in a field of 30 with 6.22 meters, far from 7.12m nailed by eventual
champion Britney Reese of the US.
Rene Herrera Athletics (men's 5,000m) Despite facing a tall order,
five-time Southeast Asian Games champion Rene Herrera didn't quit and crossed
the finish line with a new personal best of 14 minutes and 44.15 seconds. He's
ranked 42nd. Nonetheless, Herrera said that running side-by-side with some of
the world's best athletes is already a big achievement.
Brian Rosario Shooting (men's skeet) Out of 36 competitors, Brian
Rosario placed 31st with 110 points on 22-19-25-22-22 showing in the five-round
qualifying stage. He's quite short of his personal best of 120 points he scored
in his previous international tournament that could have easily put him into the
next round.
Rachelle Cabral Archery (women's individual) Rachel Cabral, a
multi-medalist in the Southeast Asian Games, lost in the first round against
10th seed Inna Stepanova of Russia, 1-7 (23-22, 23-18, 25-25 and 27-22).
Mark Javier Archery (men's individual) On his second Olympic Games
appearance, Mark Javier was again denied of a podium finish, losing to
multi-titled American Brady Ellison, 1-7 (27-29, 25-28, 25-25 and 22-29). Both
Cabral and Javier were predicted to, at least, make it to the second round. But
it didn't happen as they bowed against their respective world-class rivals.
Tomohiko Hoshina Judo (men's 100+ kilograms) Filipino-Japanese
Tomohiko Hoshina was gone in 65 seconds, succumbing by "ippon" to South Korean
Kim Sung-min in the first round. Ippon is a Japanese word that means "one full
point." In judo, it is awarded when an athlete was able to pin down his/her
opponent for several seconds.
Jessie Khing Lacuna Swimming (men's 200m freestyle) Youth Olympic
Games veteran Jessie Khing Lacuna for sure gained an extraordinary experience
seeing the likes of Michel Phelps and Ryan Lochte. For now, the 18-year-old
Lacuna settled for 36th with one minute and 52.91 seconds with high hopes of
achieving the same feat of his idols in the near future.
Jasmine Alkhaldi Swimming (women's 100m freestyle) Jasmine Alkhaldi,
also a veteran of the Youth Olympic Games, negotiated the 100m race in 57.13
seconds, good for 34th overall out of 48 competitors. Lacuna and Alkhaldi were
the token representatives of the Philippines in swimming based on the
universality rule of the world governing body. All member countries of the
International Swimming Federation were given two slots.
Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting (women's 58-kg) Hidilyn Diaz, the country's
flag bearer, started her bid with an impressive 97-kg lift in snatch. Moments
later, the 21-year-old went out of the venue in tears after missing her three
attempts in the clean and jerk and crashed out of the competition. She was
expected to land in the Top 10.




Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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