PHILIPPINES UPDATED. Archand Christian Bagsit pulled off a
phenomenal run in final leg of the men’s 4×400-meter relay to become the second
Filipino double-gold medalist at the 27th Southeast Asian Games here.
On a day when golds on the track proved elusive, the quartet of Isidro del
Prado Jr., Julius Nierras, Edgardo Alejan and Bagsit put on a swashbuckling
performance that capped a productive stint for Philippine athletics.
The PH quartet clocked 3 minutes 09.32 seconds to beat
Thailand (3:09.81) and Malaysia (3:15.06) and improve on its silver-medal
finish in 2011 Indonesia.
Only Del Prado, who replaced Junrey Bano, was not a
member of that foursome.
“All the hard work paid off,” said the 22-year-old Bagsit, who also ruled
the men’s 400m. “I never thought we could win it.”
Trailing by a several meters after receiving the baton
from Nierras, Bagsit, a financial management major at Letran, chased the last
Thai runner and surged ahead in the last 50m.
“When I reached the final straight, I knew that the gold’s ours,” said the
protege of two-time Olympian Lerma Bulauitan-Gabito.
After five days of action at Wunna Theikdi Stadium here,
the Filipinos have seized six gold, four silver and three bronze medals, a vast
improvement on their 2-9-5 collection two years ago.
Apart from Bagsit’s twin victories, long-jumper Henry
Dagmil, Eric Shauwn Cray (400m hurdles), decathlete Jesson Cid and Christopher
Ulboc Jr. (3000m steeplechase) also contributed to the most productive stint by
a PH national sports association here.
Princess Superal was the country’s first double gold
medalist here after ruling invididual play while powering the country’s team to
victory in women’s golf.
Cray earlier placed sixth in the men’s 110m hurdles. The
Filipino-American from University of Oklahoma clocked 14.34 seconds in the race
won by Thailand’s Jamras Rittidet (13.72).
“It’s not my event,” said Cray. “I fared bad.”
In the men’s 1,500m, Melvin Guarte placed fourth with a time of 3:58.43
and Ulboc landed seventh out of eight runners (4:05.76). Vietnam’s Van Thai
Dong ruled the event in 3:58.02.
Fil-Am Jessica Barnard finished last out of four runners
in the women’s 1500m (4:22.64) won by Vietnam’s Thi Thao Do in 4:22.64.
Benigno Marayag placed fifth (15.59 meters) in men’s
triple jump won by another Viet, Van Hung Nguyen (16.67).
