The gold medal is still elusive for Team Philippines on the second day of the 2022 Asian Games but veteran tai chi artist Jones Inso snagged the country’s second bronze medal in the men’s taijiquan+taijijuan event in wushu on Tuesday in Hangzhou.
The 26-year-old Baguio native placed second in the taijiquan (forms) event but faltered at fourth place in taijijian (sword) for 19.486 points.
It was good enough for the bronze medal as Hong Kong’s Samuel Hui overtook Inso in taijijian for a total of 19.49 points.
China’s Gao Haonan dominated the event with 19.666 points as Inso wins his first Asiad medal on his second try, adding to the four Southeast Asian games medals in his haul.
Skater Jericho Francisco, however, was not as lucky as Inso in the men’s park skateboarding event as the 21-year-old spilled his third run to end up with 0.06 points short of bronze medalist Kensuke Sasaoka of Japan.
Along with silver medalist Yuro Nagahara, the Japanese duo buried the erstwhile second-placer Francisco with 84 points for Nagahara and 83.66 points by Sasaoka on their final runs.
Chen Ye of China topped the event with 84.41 points on his second run.
It was a bad day for Pinay athletes as the Philippine women’s football team scored for the very first time against South Korea, only to concede five goals in Group E of the women’s football tournament at Wenzhou.
Excitement stoked Filipino football fans as Sarina Bolden scored on a counterattacking strike off a through pass from Meryll Serrano to score early in the eight minute.
20-year-old midfielder Chun Ga-Ram immediately responded with a goal off a left corner inswing by Ji So-Yu in the 12th minute while Son Hwa-Yeon scored a hat-trick to stymy the Filipinas.
Ji likewise scored her 69th international goal from a penalty kick off an Eva Madarang foul inside the penalty box in the 52nd minute.
The Filipinas are still at second place in Group E with three more goals with Myanmar, whom they share a one-win, one-loss card.
In women’s swimming, two-time Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez and Teia Salvino wounded up in sixth and eighth place, respectively, in the 50 meter backstroke swim while Xiandi Chua was at last place in the final of the 200 meter individual medley.
In rowing, Joanie Delgaco placed fifth the final of the women’s single sculls final while kid skater Mazel Alegado landed at seventh place in the women’s park final.
In women’s beach volleyball, BVR veterans Dij Rodriguez and Gen Eslapor fell in the quarterfinals against the powerhouse Japanese tandem of Sayaka Mizoe and Miki Ishii.
The only Filipina bright spot was former U.S. Open Girls champion Alex Eala, who double-bageled Sarah Ibrahim Khan of Pakistan in the opener of the women’s singles tournament in tennis.
The debuting Eala will next face 19-time ITF doubles champion Rutuja Sampatrao Bhosale of India in the round of 16.
The Philippines is currently at 20th place in the overall medal standing with two bronzes.
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