KUALA LUMPUR – Archers Paul Marton dela Cruz, Joseph Benjamin Vicencio and Earl Benjamin Yap were treated to hamburgers by teammate Amaya Cojuangco Thursday after winning the country’s second bronze medal in archery in the 29th Southeast Asian Games here.
All four skipped the complimentary meals at the hotel and took their lunch at a nearby mall despite failing to strike gold for the second straight day.
“The condition was set up in such a way that an upset was most likely. A single bad shot could hurt,” said Cojuangco who nevertheless remains upbeat about their chances in mixed doubles on Friday.
“Paul and I had a good practice round today. Hopefully, tomorrow would be a good day,” said Cojuangco.
After breaking the Games record against Myanmar in the quarterfinals, the Filipinos ran into a hot Singaporean side in the semifinals and were relegated to the battle for the bronze medal.
The PH trio fired 236 against Myanmar, but slowed down with a 227, visibly affected by Singapore’s sizzling 233 effort.
Dela Cruz, the other day, salvaged bronze by beating Zulfadhli Ruslan, 10-9, in a thrilling sudden-death, shoot-off in the men’s individual archery compound event.
The Filipinos regrouped in the medal bout, upending Vietnam, 233-230.
In a low-scoring final, Malaysia beat Singapore, 233-230.
Malaysia completed a sweep when its women’s squad edged Vietnam via a shootoff after both teams finished with identical 225 points.
Indonesia beat Thailand, 225-222, for the bronze.
The women’s squad, made up of Abbigail Tindugan, Jennifer Chan and Cojuangco, was eliminated early by Thailand, 222-215.
In water polo, the men’s team came tantalizingly close to upsetting 26-time champion Singapore before fading, 7-5, at the National Aquatic Center.
The Filipinos carried a 3-1 lead into most of the second quarter until Singapore scored four unanswered goals to seize the initiative.
Despite two straight losses, the Nationals still have a chance to salvage a medal if they hurdle their last assignment against Indonesia.
A day after winning silver, the men’s chinlone team was shut out of the medal picture.
Myanmar won the gold, relegating Laos to the silver. The bronze went to Malaysia and Cambodia.
At the end of the chinlone events, the Filipinos acquitted themselves well despite having taken up the non-competitive sport four months ago.
In synchronized swimming, Aaliyah Isabel Pacheco finished last in the field of eight, scoring 61.133.
Debbie Soh Li Fei of Singapore won the gold with a score 75.000. Malaysian Lee Yhing Huey and Miya Yong Hsing settled for the silver and bronze.
In netball, the Philippines absorbed its third straight loss at the hands of Thailand, 86-16.
Two days before the opening ceremonies, Malaysia rose on top of the medal tally with 3 golds, 2 silvers and 4 bronzes. Indonesia and Myanmar had 2 golds apiece while Singapore had a lone gold.
The Philippines lies in sixth spot with 1 silver and 2 bronzes.
Only one final event remains – the solo technical routine of synchronized evening set Thursday evening.
The men’s and women’s football teams were set to play against Indonesia and Vietnam, respectively, at presstime.