MANAMA — Filipino tanker Jamesray Ajido delivered a medal as promised and snared a silver in the boys’ 100-meter (m) butterfly event as Alas Pilipinas missed out on matching it after stumbling to Iran in a heartbreaking semifinal defeat in the 3rd Asian Youth Games here.
Mr. Ajido, 16, went for the gold but ended up with the silver after clocking 55.11 seconds behind only Iranian Mohammadmahdi Gholami, who copped the gold with a blistering 54.75 seconds at the Khalifa Sports City swimming pool.
It was another medal on the international stage for De La Salle-Greenhills stalwart, who struck gold in the South Asian and Asian Age Group Championships in Bangkok and New Clark City in Tarlac, respectively, last year.
That feat hiked the Philippines’ medal total to six golds, six silvers and seven bronzes, which kept it at No. 8 in the overall medal tally that was being dominantly led by the rampaging Chinese, who have run away with the overall crown with an insurmountable 42-33-14 (gold-silver-bronze) harvest.
The Nationals had a chance to ensure themselves of another silver in girls’ volleyball but couldn’t sustain a strong start and succumbed to the Iranians, 26-28, 25-18, 25-19, 25-18, that denied the former a spot in the finals and a crack at the gold.
Instead, it will be Iran versus Indonesia battling for that mint.
The Filipinas though will have a chance at consoling themselves of a bronze as they battle the Thais on Wednesday at the Isa Sports City.
Rhose Almendralejo, who was plucked from Tay Tung from Bacolod to reinforce this team of National University standouts, had a scorching outing with 25, 23 of which came off attacks.
It wasn’t meant to be though as Iran had all the answers.
“It was really painful,” said Alas libero Atasha Doroja. “We’ll give it our best to get that bronze.”
In weightlifting at the Exhibition World Bahrain, Alexsandra Ann Diaz, another niece of Tokyo Olympics gold winner Hidilyn Diaz, snared a clean and jerk bronze to add to the other two medals won by her sister Princess Jay Ann Diaz and Jay-R Colonia the day before.
Jhodie Peralta, a world junior’s champ, was fighting it out for a medal, possibly a gold, in the girls’ 53kg class as of this writing.
In badminton also at the EWB, Cris Ivan Dosano, Ron Ezekial Zacarias and Eve Bejasa all hurdled their opening round assignments.
Mr. Dosano slammed Bahraini Ali Alashador, 21-5, 21-9, Mr. Zacarias dumped Maldives’ Ibrahim Hamdi, 21-8, 21-11, both in the boys’ singles and Ms. Bejasa walloped Bangladeshi Margaret Biswas, 21-9, 21-4, and Cambodian Mak Nitajulie, 21-6, 21-6, to barge into the girls’ singles’ round-of-16. — Joey Villar
