RP cyclists bag 1 silver, 2 bronze medals at SEA Games

Filipino cyclists accounted for three of the 13 medals that the Philippines team garnered on Friday at the 24th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to boost its medal tally to 20. Eusebio Quiñones and Nino Surban bagged the silver and bronze, respectively, in the men's cross-country race, and Baby Marites Bitbit got the bronze in the women's cross-country race, according to a statement issued by the Philippine Cycling Federation (PhilCycling). Counting Joey Barba's gold medal in mountain bike's men's downhill – the country's first gold so far – on Thursday (December 6), Team Cycling Philippines went 3-of-3 in terms of podium finishes. The 34-year-old Quiñones, a native of Daet, Camarines Sur, would have finished first were it not for a minor mechanical trouble that bugged him at the start of the second lap of the race. Frustrated by mechanicall trouble "Gold na sana," Quinones said. He clocked in at two hours, one minute, and 58 seconds in the 41-kilometer race staged on a picturesque 8.3-kilometer course around the Khao Yai Thieng dam. The silver was Quinones's fourth SEA Games medal after his silver in Kuala Lumpur in 2001, his gold in Vietnam in 2003, and his bronze in Manila in 2005. The Thais, frustrated by Surban in the downhill, finally got their first cycling gold medal courtesy of Tawatchai Masae (1:59:28). Surban, the 2004 Asian Championships silver medalist, squeezed his way from fourth to third to capture the bronze medal with a 2:03:10 clocking. Crowd favorite Bitbit also will not be going home empty-handed in mountain bike as she earned the women's cross-country bronze (1:29:10), also her fourth SEA Games medal after a silver in 2001, a bronze in 2003, and a gold in 2005. She shed tears of disappointment at the finish. She had been looking forward to getting another gold, but she was consoled by coaches Jomel Lorenzo and Eboy Parr and Danao City Councilor Oscar "Boying" Rodriguez, the mountain bike team's patron. Vietnam dominated the in women's cross-country, with Thi Thanh Huyen Nguyen in first (1:56:17) and Thanh Dam Nguyen in second (1:58:44). But it was Bitbit who turned out as the Thai crowd's favorite as she got the loudest applause during the awards ceremonies. Bitbit has not lost hope though. She is competing in 30-kilometer individual time trial Sunday and the 116.10-kilometer massed start on December 13 as well as track's points race on December 11. The Thai women could only finish fourth and fifth while another did not finish the race where the men went five laps over the fast and rocky course to complete 41 kilometers and the women four laps for 32.8 kilometers. PhilCycling president Bert Lina, who is arriving in Thailand on Sunday with wife Sylvia, was satisfied with the team's performance so far. "It's not bad at all, three events and four medals. We haven't miss the podium in all three events we participated in," he said. The Philippines did not have an entry in women's downhill. - GMANews.TV