IT was tough luck for the Philippines in triathlon on the morning of the opening ceremony of the Asian Youth Games, as Euan Arrow Ramos crashed out of the competition on Thursday at Sofitel Bahrain.
Ramos suffered scratches and bruises all over, including his right arm and leg, after hitting the deck when his wheel clipped a cateye on a tight turn in the race featuring 39 triathletes.
The 15-year-old Ramos came out of the water in ninth place and had closed in on the leaders during the bike stage when he apparently ran over a reflective road stud and crashed.
He was brought to Bahrain Defense Force Hospital.
The cones had to be moved after several incidents, which slightly altered the course, but Triathlon Association of the Philippines secretary general Ting Joson said they can’t blame the results on these things.
“It was unfortunate because malakas si Arrow and the boys prepared well. It’s unfortunate na may cat eye dun,” Joson said. “Kahit na sabihin mong they changed the course on the fly, prerogative ng officials yun if they feel this is the safer way to do it.” “As a technical official, nakita na may ganung accident and you can avoid that from happening again, you have to make those calls,” Joson said.
Compounding the Philippines’ woes was Peter Sancho del Rosario losing his 12th spot, ending up disqualified after an infraction at the second transition when he started removing his headgear before setting his bike on the rack.
China’s Li Yansong won in 27 minutes, 0.4 seconds. Kazakhstan’s Ramazan Ainegov finished in 27:11 for silver, and Korea’s Kang Woohyeon earned bronze in 27:13.
Mesmerizing opening rites
Harlyn Serneche of volleyball and boxer Leo Mhar Lobrido carried the Philippine flag during the lavish opening rites at the Exhibition World Bahrain on Wednesday night.
Bahrain came up with a captivating multimedia stage production, with superb performances by the local artists and mermerizing lighting effects as they welcomed the representatives of the 45 nations.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino commended Bahrain for the excellent hosting so far, from facilities to logistics, especially since it accepted the hosting rights only in December last year.
“Ang galing ng Bahrain kahit short ang preparation,” Tolentino said.
Uzbekistan pulled out because the infrastructure—especially the Olympic Village and related facilities—would not be completed in time. Uzbek officials asked for a one-year postponement, but the Olympic Council of Asia declined because the AYG serves as a qualifier for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.
“Dapat ito Uzbek. Uzbek ito dapat, hindi natapos yung facilities so savior yung Bahrain.”
