It was technically a medal drought for Team Philippines on the third day of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games but three sanda fighters in men’s wushu conquered their Central Asian foes in the quarterfinals to assure the country three medals on Tuesday’s nightcap.

In the 56 kg. division, world champion Arnel Mandal landed five unanswered strikes in the second round to end Jamshidbek Guliboev of Uzbekistan.

In the 60 kg. category, SEA Games silver medalist Gideon Padua scored on a similar number of second round strikes to defeat Agajumageldi Yazymov of Turkmenistan.

To end the night, Clemente Tabugara has finally won a medal in his third Asiad stint, dominating Abdusamat Ashimov with nine strikes overall in the 65 kg. class.

While the colors are still to be determined, the three fighters will add three medals in the Philippines’ haul to add to the two bronzes won by Patrick King Perez of taekwondo and Jones Inso of wushu.

In skateboarding, Margielyn Didal completed easy yet clean tricks in the qualifiers of the women’s street competition to enter tomorrow’s finals in defense of her title.

The Cebuano Olympian placed sixth among eight finalists with a 41.53 card.

On the men’s street side, Renzo Mark Feliciano placed seventh with 52.73 points, enough to also make the finals; however, compatriot John Flory Panugalinog dropped out at tenth place.

It was a triumphant return for national men’s basketball coach Tim Cone as Gilas Pilipinas routed Bahrain, 89-61, to open Group C competition.

Playing Cone’s patented triangle offense, four Gilas scored in double digits, assisted 24 of 30 shots, and clogged Bahrain’s interior by forcing them to shoot 27 per cent from within the rainbow arc in a game raved by Pinoy fans as a departure from the Philippines’ dismal performance in the just-concluded FIBA Basketball World Cup.

In 1998, Cone mentored the so-called “Centennial Squad” that won the Philippines’ last basketball medal with a bronze in Bangkok.

The men’s 3×3 team likewise won against Taiwan, 17-12, to make it two in a row to lead Group A.

The Blu Girls were also on a rousing start in Group A of the softball tournament, needing only four inning to score an 11-0 victory over Thailand, as the pitching prowess of Mary Ann Antolihao was too much for the shell-shocked Thais.

Three-time juniors Grand Slam champion Alex Eala continued her winning ways, dumping India’s Rutuja Bhosale in women’s singles tennis, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, to set a quarterfinals date with Japanese veteran Kyoka Okamura.

With Eala teaming up with fellow juniors Grand Slam champ Francis Casey Alcantara, the Philippines double-bageled Nepal at the start of the mixed doubles competition.

In men’s fencing, it was a heartbreaking run for epee swordsman Noelito Jose, Jr. as he fell short of a medal after losing his quarterfinal match against Ho Wai Hang of Hong Kong, 10-15.

Jose, the winningest Filipino fencer so far, amassed two wins in the group stage and won against Kyrgyzstan’s Roman Petrov and China’s Wang Zijie in the knockout rounds.

The same heartbreak was also experienced by taekwondo jin Baby Jessica Canabal, losing to Uzbekistan’s Charos Kayumova in the women’s 53 kg. kyorugi.

Two-time Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez likewise failed to deliver a medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle in swimming, placing fifth (54.69 seconds) in the finals won by Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, who set an Asian Games record of 52.17 seconds.

Xiandi Chua likewise failed to reach the podium in the women’s 200 meter backstroke final, placing seventh in a finals won by Peng Xuwei of China.

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