AIG: Subang blanked by Thai foe in muay finals

HANOI – Muay artist Maricel Subang lost a controversial 5-0 decision against Thailand’s Konnika Nuanboriboon during their gold medal match in the 51-kilogram division Saturday in the 3rd Asian Indoor Games. Subang’s failure to win the AIG gold ended muay’s bid of going 3-for-3 in the biennial meet after former athletes in the said event topped the past two editions. Nuanboriboon, 18, is the gold medal winner in the 1st Asian Martial Arts Games held in Bangkok last August and although deserving for the AIG gold, the score did not reflect the intense action the two fighters went through. Five judges from Vietnam, Laos, Iraq, Iran and Macau officiated the four-round bout in the flyweight division and they failed to recognize clear punches and kicks dished out by the 25-year-old Subang against her Thai rival. “Talagang ganyan, wala tayong magawa. Halos kanila ang mga judges pero di tayo nagrereklamo," said Red Dumuk, Muay Association of the Philippines (MAP) officer in charge who is also muay’s head of delegation. Zaide Laruan and Jay Harold Gregorio added a bronze each for the RP muay team winning the medals in the men's lightweight and welterweight divisions. “We praised the efforts of our athletes who gave their best despite limited preparations for the Games," said RP Chief of Mission Julian Camacho. Tanker Miguel Molina is the country's last athlete to compete as he is scheduled to see action in the 100m individual medley finals late Saturday night at the My Dinh National Aquatics Center. Molina negotiated the distance in the heats at 57.03 seconds as he placed seventh among eight finalists. The best time is owned by 200m IM gold winner Dmitriy Gordiyenko of Kazakhstan at 55.64 seconds. Molina also competed in the 100m freestyle Saturday but settled for 10th place (50.4 seconds). A silver medalist in the 200m IM, the 25-year old 2007 SEA Games best male athlete missed the opportunity to win a second medal in the 200m freestyle disputed Friday night. Molina was at second place behind China's Wenjie Pu in the first 150-meters but lost steam in the final stretch to place fifth (1:49.96). Pu took the gold with 1:47.40 while India's DsouzaAaron Agnel Dsouza and Virdhawal Vikram Khade bagged the silver and bronze medals with 1:48.39 and 1:48.72 performances. Annie Albania won the country’s lone gold when she topped the women’s bantamweight division beating Thailand’s Sopida Satumrum. Joining Subang and Molina with silver medals were sanshou’s Rhea Ann Rifani and boxer Mitchel Martinez while bowler Biboy Rivera, boxer Josie Gabuco and sanshou Jennifer Lagilag joined Laruan and Gregorio won bronze medals. – GMANews.TV