Fil-Aussie surfer wins 5th RP medal in Asian Beach Games

MANILA, Philippines - Luke Richard Thomas Landrigan, an Australia-raised Filipino, took the silver medal in the men's longboard event in the inaugural Asian Beach Games Monday at the Kuta beach in Bali, Indonesia. Landrigan, an eight-year veteran surfer, tallied 10.9 points, a far score from the gold medallist from Japan but still good for the country's fourth medal overall. "I'm just happy. This is my first tournament outside of the Philippines and to win the silver, it's overwhelming," Landrigan, whose father is Australian, said. Landrigan, a regular participant in the annual Siargao International Invitationals, topped Round One with 14.5 points, but settled for second (11.3) in the next round. He submitted 11.5 points in the third and last round to advance to the finals. "I was confident when I topped the third round, but I know that anything can happen out there," Landrigan added. The other Filipino medallists included Carlito Nogalo (shortboard surfing), Emraida Asmad (Class A - 45 to 50kg category, women's pencak silat) and the Philippine dragon-boat team (500m, 1000m events). Asmad lost 5-0 to a Malaysian, while the Philippine dragon-boat rowers were behind Myanmar and Indonesia in the 500m. - GMANews.TV