Annie Ramirez won the Philippines’ third gold medal – and the second straight from jiu-jitsu – on Friday in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Ramirez defeated Kazakhstan’s Galina Duvanova in the women’s 57kg event. On the way to the final, she defeated Vietnam’s Thi Thuong Ie in the round of 16, Singapore’s Fiona Toh in the quarterfinals, and Shamsa Alameri of the United Arab Emirates in the semifinals.
As of last night, the Philippines haD a total of 16 medals, with two silvers from wushu’s Arnel Mandal and boxing’s Eumir Marcial, and 11 bronze medals.
The Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team was facing Jordan for the gold medal at 8 p.m.
Ramirez’s victory came after Meggie Ochoa’s golden medal finish in jiu-jitsu’s 48kg division for women on Thursday (see full story in Sports, page C2 – Editors).
Pole vaulter EJ Obiena copped the country’s first gold, setting an Asian Games record last week.
The Pinoy jiu-jitsu team also bagged a bronze medal, thanks to Kaila Napolis of the women’s 52kg event.
Meanwhile, the PH sepak takraw team of Jason Huerte, Rheyjay Ortouste, Ron Gabayerno, Mark Joseph Gonzales, and Jom Rafael also bagged a bronze medal in the men’s regu.
Elsewhere in the Games, China’s women’s basketball team staved off a spirited fightback from Japan to retain their title on Thursday, as a silver medalist became the latest athlete to fail a doping test.
The Chinese men crashed out in the semi-finals with a last-gasp defeat to the Philippines 24 hours earlier, breaking the hearts of the basketball-obsessed home nation.
But the women made up for it, taking an early lead and then just about keeping the Olympic runners-up at bay for a thrilling 74-72 win at a pulsating Hangzhou Olympic Centre Gymnasium.
Wang Siyu sank the game-winning basket with seconds remaining,
sparking wild celebrations among the flag-waving crowd.
China coach Zheng Wei warned her team they will have to be better at next summer’s Paris Olympics.
“We still have a lot of room for improvement and many problems to solve,” she said.
China fielded 6ft 8in (2.03m) Han Xu and 6ft 7in Li Yueru, giving them a huge height advantage over their opponents.
Han, who has been compared to eight-time NBA All-Star Yao Ming, scored 10 points while Li bagged 13. Both were outscored by team-mate Li Meng, with 17.
Japan, looking to win Asian Games gold for the first time since 1998, chipped away at China’s lead until they drew level with just under three minutes remaining.
A huge three-pointer from Li Yuan eased China back in front before
Wang settled it with a lay-up on the final attack.
In the battle for bronze, South Korea cut neighbours North Korea and their giant centre Pak Ji Na — who stands 6ft 9in — down to size to win 93-63.
China added to their medal haul — now standing at 179 golds — early in the day when He Jie fulfilled a dream by winning the men’s marathon in 2hr 13min 2sec.
“I told my coach that I have a dream and I will do it no matter what it takes,” said the 24-year-old He.
Bahrain’s Kenyan-born Eunice Chumba was in a class of her own in the women’s event, claiming victory by nearly two minutes in 2hr 26min 14sec.
In cycling, young Kazakh rider Yevgeniy Fedorov was gifted gold by decorated teammate Alexey Lutsenko as they crossed the line nearly six minutes ahead of the rest in the men’s road race.
The pair, who rides professionally for Astana Qazaqstan, timed their race to perfection on the challenging 207.7-kilometer (128-mile) course through the mountains.
After sitting in the chasing peloton, defending champion Lutsenko took control with 80km left and the duo stayed together as they pulled clear.
They were seen chatting as they cruised to the finish, with Lutsenko waving his teammate over the line first in 4:25.29.
“In the end, we decided that I could win a gold medal because Alexey had already won a gold medal in this race at the 2018 Asian Games,” said the 23-year-old Fedorov.
Hasanboy Dusmatov gave a boxing masterclass to win flyweight (51kg) gold and complete his collection of major titles on a memorable night in the ring for Uzbekistan. With AFP
Olympic and world super heavyweight (+92kg) champion Bakhodir Jalolov also won his first Games gold.
North Korea claimed their sixth weightlifting gold with Song Kuk Hyang winning the women’s 76kg category. With AFP