Eddiva wins 2nd SEAG gold for RP wushu bets

Mark Eddiva beat Myanmar’s Tin Lin Aung 2-0, in the sanshou under-65 kg division final Thursday for wushu’s second gold medal contribution to Team Philippines in the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos. The victory by the 23-year-old bet came after Marianne Mariano’s retention of her sanshou under-60kg gold was officially posted, even though a day late, by meet organizers and came on the heels of silver finishes by Mary Jane Estimar and Benjie Rivera in the under-52 and men’s under-56 kgs, respectively.

Wushu Federation Philippines (WFP) president Julian Camacho said his wards could have delivered more golds and met his prediction of at least three if not for some misfortunes. “Si Rhea May (Rifani) nadulas, na-twist ang ankle niya. Sinipa ng kalaban sa paa at doon natalo," he related, referring to Rifani’s semis loss to Thailand’s Chutdai Chaimala last Tuesday. Estimar’s 0-2 setback to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Ngan is also a disappointing one as there were only three entries in the event. She beat Laos’ Toy, 2-0, in the knockout match for second place. Other RP medal winners for the Chinese martial art/sport were Jessie Aligaga (bronze, under 48kg), Denver Labrador (bronze, under 60kg) and Daniel Parantac (bronze, taijiquan/taijijian). “Happy ako sa performance ng mga bata," said Camacho. “Sa sanshou lang, pito dinala ko, pitong medalya din nakuha, kasama dalawang golds." After the SEA Games, Camacho said the WFP will prepare its 16-and-under team for the World Juniors Championships in Singapore in June. - GMANews.TV