Cuba training for RP wrestlers to push through

The Wrestling Association of the Philippines’ (WAP) preparations for the 2010 Asian Games received a big boost as private donors have released money that would fund the RP team’s training in Cuba. Jason Balabal and Margarito Angana will train for five months in Cuba after WAP received P550,000 from private donors who want to remain anonymous.

Balabal and Angana, both 23 years old, were chosen to represent the country in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games after winning gold medals in the last year’s Laos Southeast Asian Games. The RP wrestling team bagged three gold medals in the freestyle event with Jimmy Angana winning the last gold in Laos. WAP officials said the Cuba trip would boost the local wrestlers’ chances of winning medals in the Guangzhou Asiad since they would receive quality training from the best coaches. The Philippines is hoping to improve on the country's four-gold medal haul – courtesy of Violito Payla and Joan Tipon (boxing), and Rene Catalan (sanshou) and Antonio Gabica (billiards) – during the 2006 Doha Asian Games. – GMANews.TV