By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Two-time world champion Carlos Yulo is simply a cut above the rest, putting on jaw-dropping routines to win pulling away even as
Fer Casares kept his triathlon on a hot Monday, May 8, in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games here.
As everybody expected, Yulo dazzled the crowd and awed his challengers at the National Olympic Stadium by winning the men’s individual all-around gold medal with 84 points, almost four points ahead of Thanh Thung Le (80.450) and Phuong Thanh Dinh (78.150), both from Vietnam.
Yulo banked heavily on his dazzling vault performance where he scored 15.00, followed by parallel bars (14.95), floor exercise (14.35), rings (14.15), horizontal bar (12.9) and pommel horse (12.65).
He also anchored the PH crew to a silver finish in the men’s team event with a total score of 305.25 points behind eventual gold winner Vietnam with 313 points.
In Kep, Fil-Spaniard Casares braved another wicked weather by clockeing 58 minutes and 33.5 seconds to rule the 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5km run men’s triathlon race.
Indonesian Rashif Amila Yaqin timed 58:47.7 for the silver while Casares’ teammate Andrew Kim Remolino bagged the bronze in 59:55.5.
Casares’ win somehow eased the pain of Kim Mangrobang’s failed four-peat bid in the distaff side, where she settled for the silver behind Cambodian’s naturalized triathlete Margot Garabedian.
Garabedian, who ranked No. 190 in world triathlon and a seventh placer at the World Junior Championships in 2014, ended Mangrobang’s three-edition supremacy by capturing the gold medal in 1:05:34.2.
Mangrobang crossed the finished line two minutes later and timed 1:07:24.
In cycling, Ariana Evangelista pedaled her way to the silver medal in the women’s mountain bike race set against the famous Angkor Wat in Siem Riep.
Evangelista finished behind Dara Latifah of Indonesia, who clinched the gold medal.
Thailand’s Warinthorn Phetpraphan and Vipavee Deekabelles finished third and fourth, respectively.
In karate, the women’s team kumite of Junna Tsukii, Jamie Lim, Remon Misu and Arianne Brito settled for the silver after losing to Vietnam.
Kun Bokator also delivered bronze medals in the women’s single phak form (Mitz Jude Jalandoni), women’s bare hands team trio (Shara Jizmundo, Jessa Dela Cruz, Angel Derla), and the men’s bare hands team trio (Zandro Fred Jizmundo, James Mayagma, Rick Ortega).
At the Aeon Mall, Johann Chua failed in his bid to keep his men’s 9-ball singles title in billiards after yielding to Myanmar’s Phone Myint Kyaw in a hill-hill battle, 9-8, in the Round of 16.
Late in Sunday, May 7, the Sibol national team reigned supreme in the League of Legends: Wild Rift (Mobile) Mixed Team event with a 3-1 victory over Vietnam at the Nagaworld: Olympia Mall.
As of 5 p.m., Team PH has 16 gold, 22 silver and 24 bronze medals at fifth place.
Host Cambodia currently leads the overall medal tally with 32 gold, 26 silver and 26 bronzes, followed by Indonesia (20-14-28), Thailand (19-18-27) and Vietnam (17-19-27).
