Underdog Subang eyes gold versus Thai champ

HANOI – The Philippines will once again lean on the strength and fighting heart of its female athletes to complete its quest of adding another gold to the country's medal collection in the 3rd Asian Indoor Games. Muay Maricel Subang will try to match lady boxer Annie Albania’s golden act when she climbs up the ring Saturday to meet Thailand's Konnika Nuanboriboon in the women’s flyweight finals at the Rach Mieu Gym in Ho Chi Minh City. Action in the AIG ends Saturday with the 23-member delegation, as of press time, collecting nine medals – gold, three silvers and five bronze – to surpass the 1-2-3 tally Team Philippines won in Macau two years ago. The 25-yeard-old Subang hopes to complete what her teammates failed to accomplish when she enters the match as the underdog. Rhea May Rifani, Zaidi Laruan and Jay Harold Gregorio lost their respective matches. Among the three, Rifani ended up with a medal around her neck after settling for the silver in Friday’s finals of the 52kg division. She suffered a 2-0 decision against China’s Gong Jinlan at the Trinh Hoai Duc Gymnasium. Jinlan was aggressive all throughout the two-round bout as the 20-year old student from Jilin Sports Institute in Changchun City, China pinned down Rifani four times. “She was far more superior than I am," admitted the 25-year old Benguet native Rifani who in the 2005 Philippine SEA Gámes won the gold in the said division. “This is not my last fight because I plan to join more tournaments and the experience I gained here will make me a better player," added Rifani. Jennifer Lagilag won the bronze in the 48-kilogram division in sanshou, which was dominated by China with three gold and a silver medal. Laruan and Gregorio failed to bring home a medal after losing their respective semifinals matches in the lightweight and welterweight divisions last Thursday. Subang’s opponent, despite being only 18-years old, is the gold medalist in the 1st Asian Martial Arts Games held in Bangkok last August. “(Nuanboriboon) is highly favored, I say 60-40," said Red Dumuk, Muay Association of the Philippines’ officer in charge and Team Philippines’ head of delegation. “But being the underdog may push Maricel to do her best." Medals are still expected from tanker Miguel Molina as he advanced in the 200m freestyle finals at the My Dinh National Aquatics Center. The morning heats saw Molina, a silver medalist in the 200m Individụal Medley, submitting the third fastest time at one minute and 49.25 seconds. A total of 23 swimmers competed in the three heats with China's Wenjie Pe and Aaron Agnel Dsouza of India registering the top two best times (1:48.50 and 1:49.09). “Miguel will try to swim faster. His time is close to the best time and we will strategize bases on the data we have now," said swimming coach Pinky Brosas. Bowling ended its campaign on a sorry note as the men's and women's teams were eliminated in the competition held at the Saigon Superbowl in Ho Chi Mihn. Made up of men's singles bronze medalist Biboy Rivera, Chester King, Raoul Miranda and Jonas Baltasar, the men's team could only score 5,046 in the combined three games each in long and short oil to finish ninth out of the 18 competing squads. The women's team of Liza Del Rosario, Ma. Lourdes Arles, Kimberly Lao and Krizziah Lyn Tabora had a total output of 4.669 to settle seventh among 12 countries that saw action. Only the top four teams after the two-day elimination round advanced to the semifinals. The chess team also had a disappointing showing as the mixed rapid chess team bowed out of contention after losing four of their first six games in the nine-round elimination. Composed of GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr., Mark Paragua and WFMs Shercila Cua and Catherine Perena, the team failed to help the country's campaign placing fifth in the mixed team event. – GMANews.TV