Para chess and para table tennis delivered five golds for the Philippines on Friday, helping push the country's haul to 25 and maintain fourth place in the 13th ASEAN Para Games.
The Philippine para chess team and para table tennis team contributed to the country's medal haul on Friday, delivering five golds to push the total to 25.
Paralympians from swimming continued their success with two more gold medals, while para athletics raced to four additional golds.
Check for para chess
The para chess team had a successful run in the individual and team standard event, clinching four gold medals, two silvers, and four bronzes.
Sander Severino won gold in the men's individual standard PI with 5.5 points , while compatriot Jasper Rom took silver with 4.5 after six games. They also secured the gold in team event along with Henry Roger Lopez.
Darry Bernardo also won gold in the men's individual standard B2/B3 event with 5.5 points, while Arman Subaste got bronze with four points. They also won the team event along with Menandro Redor.
Meanwhile, Kyla Jane Langue clinched silver in the women's individual standard B1 with five points, losing by just a hair to Vietnam's Tran Ngoc Loan. The Filipina, along with Katrina Mangawang and Evangeline Gamao also secured bronze in the team event.
Cheyzer Mendoza delivered bronze in the women's individual standard PI event with four points. She and Cheryl Angot, along with Jean Lee Nacita, also won bronze in the team event.
The Philippines is aiming to improve its 13-7-15 medal haul from the 2023 Cambodia Para Games, as the team prepares for the rapid and blitz events.
Medal swing in table tennis
Meanwhile, para table tennis delivered one gold, two silvers, and three bronze medals on Friday.
Lhei Manginsay won the women's singles TT9 event against Indonesia, 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-2.
Before being a para-athlete, Lhei was a committed table tennis player since she was in fourth grade until she got into an accident in 2019 that affected her right elbow. She then clinched gold in her first Para Games.
Meanwhile, Jhona Peña settled for silver after falling to Thailand, 11-13, 9-11, 5-11, in women’s singles TT6-7.
Jan Wilfred Redulla also got silver after bowing to Thailand in the men's singles TT8. He embraced his silver medal and dedicated it to his number one fan—his father who passed away last December 25.
Andrew Kevin Arandia, Racleo Martinez Jr., and Leo Macalanda added three bronze medals.
Athletics continue to deliver
For the third straight day, Team Philippines hauled gold medals in para athletics. The Filipinos won four gold medals, two silvers, and three bronzes.
Rodrigo Podiotan Jr. continued his stellar run in wheelchair racing. After winning gold in the 400m T52 event, he followed up with a second victory in the 100m event. His time of 18.26 seconds is a new Games Record.
Compatriot Cleford Trocino followed him in breaking the meet record with a time of 18.55, good for silver.
Arvie John Arreglado followed up on his silver in the men's 100m T47 event with
a gold in the men's long jump T47 (6.36 meters).
The 54-year-old Jesebel Tordecilla added one more gold for the Philippines in women's javelin throw F55 (13.87 meters). Prudencia Panaligan joined her in the podium with a bronze (12.37).
Joshua Santos completed the athletics gold haul on Friday with 5.99 meters in men's long jump T46.
Meanwhile, bronze medals were awarded to Rocky Logrono in men's javelin throw F40 (24.26), Vengie Aurelio in men's discus throw F53/F54, as well as King James Reyes in men's 400m T46 (55.49).
Angel on the water
Meanwhile, the Paralympian Angel Otom had wings in the water, getting two more gold medals.
She set a new Games Record in the women's 100m backstroke S4-S5, finishing with a time of 1:43.87.
Otom then clinched another gold in the women's 200m freestyle.
Ernie Gawilan added a silver in men's 100m freestyle S7, while Ariel Joseph Alegarbes added to his medal haul with a silver in the men's 100m butterfly S14.
(With reports from Denisse Valdesancho/Cignal)
Katrina Alba is a sports journalist and producer, notably with SportsCenter Philippines before taking on her current role at One Sports.
She primarily writes about basketball and volleyball, with experience covering the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. Outside of work, her hobbies include running, swimming, pickleball, yoga, arnis, and krav maga.