15 MARCH 2019

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18 sports Friday, 15 March 2019 Daily Tribune Thai bags Southwoods crown I don’t know what to say. I have mixed emotions at this point but I’m definitely feeling good Thanutra Boonraksasat pulled through in a high-noon duel of wits with Princess Superal, wresting control late then surviving a wobbly finish to hack out a one-stroke victory in the ICTSI Manila Southwoods Ladies Championship at the Legends course in Carmona, Cavite yesterday. Boonraksasat hit a clutch birdie on No. 13 to take charge and went 2-up on Superal’s bogey on the next then held on to victory despite a bogey-bogey finish for a 69 as the Filipina shotmaker likewise holed out with a bogey for a 71. The Thai finished with a 13-under 203 total worth P350,000, joining the growing list of winners from the country’s perennial regional rivals, who have dominated the Ladies Federer, Nadal advance He didn’t have the best start, so that cost him the first set Philippine Golf Circuit with six victories out of 11 tournaments last year. “I don’t know what to say. I have mixed emotions at this point but I’m definitely feeling good,” said Boonraksasat, whose thrilling victory likewise snapped a five-year title spell for the 28-year-old Bangkok native. It was a sorry setback for Superal, who had led in the first two rounds, including a solid 64 in the first day. She dumped her approach shot into the left bunker on par-4 No. 18 and ended with a 5 but Superal also found the rightside trap off a 9-iron approach shot and missed a 16-footer for a crack at a playoff. “I was left with 111 yards but the ball was in a tough lie. It’s just too bad that breaks didn’t go my way in the end,” Superal said. It was a sorry setback for Superal, who had led in the first two rounds, including a solid 64 in the first day. She held on two a one-stroke by matching Boonraksasat’s 34 start but flubbed a couple of birdie putts at the back, enabling the Thai to storm ahead with birdies on Nos. 10 and 13. Superal wound up with a 204, which Chihiro Ikeda matched on a sizzling 66. Four down off Boonraksasat after 36 holes, the FIl-Japanese moved within two with three straight birdies form 13 but missed her chances in the last three and settled for joint second. Each received P155,000. Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, the last Thai to win at Pradera Verde last December, shot a second 69 to end up fourth at 205 with compatriot Chonalda Chayanun playing fifth at 206 after a 71. THANUTRA Boonraksasat gets a triumphant douse from her rivals in the LPGT Southwoods event. SEAG cage venue downgraded INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Former champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal edged closer to a blockbuster semi-final showdown at the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday with brisk fourth-round wins. World number two Nadal overpowered Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4 to book his quarter-final berth in one hour and 26 minutes. Federer, seeking a record sixth title in the California desert, needed just 64 minutes to get past Britain’s Kyle Edmund 6-1, 6-4. Nadal said his performance on a windy stadium court wasn’t as good as his 6-3, 6-1 third-round win over Argentine Diego Schwartzman. But he was more than a match for 113th-ranked Krajinovic, breaking him early in each set and saving the only break point he faced. Nadal, who lifted the Indian Wells trophy in 2007, 2008 and 2013, is in the last eight for the first time in three years after missing last ROGER Federer’s happy with the win. year’s edition, skipping both Indian Wells and the Miami Masters with a hip injury. He next will take on 13th-ranked Russian Karen Khachanov, who beat world number nine John Isner 6-4, 7-6 (7/1). Khachanov produced just one ace to the big-serving American’s 12 but stretched his record over Isner to 4-0. Fourth-seeded Federer, fresh off his 100th career title, looked poised to finish off Edmund in less than an hour. But the Swiss great had to fight off three break points as he served for the match, just a small speed bump in a match that he took charge of early. Nadal said his performance on a windy stadium court wasn’t as good as his 6-3, 6-1 third-round win over Argentine Diego Schwartzman. “He didn’t have the best start, so that cost him the first set,” Federer said. “Second set, it was definitely better. I think he probably struggled throughout a little bit. He never really got going. “Conditions are tough with the glare, and the jump of the ball it’s sometimes hard to find the rhythm and timing.” Federer will fight for a semi-final berth against 22-year-old Pole Hubert Hurkacz. Hurkacz, ranked 67th in the world, sent 25th-ranked Canadian Denis Shapovalov packing 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-3. Although he’ll be an overwhelming favorite against Hurkacz, Federer said he wouldn’t take a semi-final meeting with Nadal for granted. “I hope I can get there,” Federer said, “but I’m not going to underestimate Hubert.” A day after world number one Novak Djokovic tumbled out of the third round, 19-year-old Miomir Kecmanovic kept the Serbian flag flying. Kecmanovic became the first lucky loser to reach the last eight at Indian Wells since the ATP’s Masters 1000 series launched in 1990. AFP AFP Venues in Manila like Smart Araneta and MOA Arena are not easy to reserve By Julius Manicad The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) moved the basketball events of the 30th SEA Games from Mall of Asia Arena to the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan. Phisgoc chief operating officer Ramon Suzara admitted difficulty in booking both the Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum. And so, the Phisgoc settled for a “backup” venue. Located at the heart of San Juan City, Filoil Flying V Center can only accommodate 5,500 spectators, way smaller than the 20,000-seater Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. It is often used as venue for various volleyball tournaments like the Philippine Superliga (PSL), University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). On the other hand, basketball, especially the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), is often being played in bigger venues like the Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum. “Venues in Manila like Smart Araneta and MOA Arena are hard to reserve because bookings (have been) made (a) long time ago,” said Suzara. Suzara also said the gymnastics events will be held at the Rizal Kendra Dahlke shone anew, delivering the clutch hits that towed PLDT Home Fibr past struggling Foton, 25-16, 27-25, 22-25, 26-24, yesterday in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Centre. After erupting for 30 points in their last game, Dahlke remained hot as she scored five points in the 6-2 blast that brought the Power Hitters to match point, 24-20, in the fourth set of this prestigious women’s club league broadcasted by ESPN5 and 5Plus. Foton imports Milagros Collar and Courtney Felinski tried to keep their heads afloat with back-to-back hits, 24-24, but Dahlke converted a beautiful drop shot to seal the victory in this tourney that also has My last SEA Games were the 1993 edition in Singapore. It was also my last year in the sport before I retired. I had already won 14 gold medals for the country at this point and this was my fifth and final SEA Games. That year was the most difficult and most revealing of all my 15 years of competitive swimming. That was when I had a glimpse of how my life was going to be soon after the games were over. Let me begin by sharing what happened a year before. The 1992 Olympics just ended and when I flew back home from Barcelona, I was disappointed about my performance. I was only 2 seconds off the gold medal time in the 100 meters breaststroke and the swimmer who won was an American named Nelson Diebel, whom I swam against a few months before. I lost to him by a few tenths of a second then. I was so puzzled by how much he improved from when we swam against each other to his gold medal winning time and I thought hard about what mistakes I made during the last phase of my preparations. Anyway, I decided that I cannot dwell too much on what had already transpired and looked forward to the next big competition which was the 1993 SEA Games. I was training for a few months with a former teammate in “Kuya” Joey Andaya — a former 1500-m freestyle SEA Games medalist. He was tasked to build my endurance and also for the National tryouts. After two months, I swam the 100-m butterfly and the 100-m breaststroke and easily qualified for the SEA Games. At this point I expected to be part of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) roster to receive support as a national athlete preparing for the games. After a week I checked my name and was shocked to be informed that my name was scratched out of the list. I inquired and was told that the order came from the Chief of Staff of then PSC chairman Aparicio Mequi. I was furious about the unfair treatment as I worked very hard to qualify in two events. Memorial Coliseum and Rizal Memorial badminton hall in Manila after an initial booking at SMX Convention Center. “So now, as an update, basketball will now be at Filoil Arena and gymnastics will be at Rizal Coliseum and we’re also going to use the badminton area for gymnastics.” The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has hinted at deploying PBA players to the SEA Games. This makes the Filoil Flying V Centre too small to accommodate the spectators to the men’s basketball event. A source from the SBP said he suspects the Phisgoc was not able to book the venues on time. “Maybe (it was) late in booking (for the venues),” the Daily Tribune source said. Prior to the latest announcement, the Phisgoc revealed that indoor volleyball events will be held at the Philsports Arena; beach volleyball in Subic; polo in Calatagan, Batangas; billiards at the Manila Hotel while majority of the sports will be at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac. Suzara admitted some delays, especially with the P5-billion budget yet to be released. But he said they are working hard to address the needs of all 56 sports that will be played in the biggest, grandest SEA Games ever. “There’s still a lot to process. Venue and competition managers still have to prepare plans and technical requirements. There will also be some testing of some venues like lighting, toilets and other things,” he said. “Despite all these delays, we will continue to move forward and make sure that everything is ready and confirmed so we can proceed with the overlaying design of the venues,” Suzara added. PLDT rings loud over Foton I checked my name and was shocked to be informed that my name was scratched out of the list KENDRA Dahlke misses saving the ball during her Philippine Superliga action yesterday. ROMAN PROSPERO Asics, Mueller, Mikasa, Senoh, Team Rebel Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Cocolife, Hotel Sogo and Data Project as technical sponsors. Grace Lazard led the way with 25 points off 16 kills, six aces, three blocks with 11 digs while Dahlke chipped in 18 hits. Sasa Devanadera and Aiko Urdas also delivered significant numbers, adding 12 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Power Hitters, who climbed to No. 4 with a 5-4 win-loss slate. But PLDT coach Roger Gorayeb was far from satisfied, especially in the fourth set when the Tornadoes gave them a serious scare. “We were leading by four, 24-20, but My Last SEA Games One Stroke At a Time Eric Buhain the service error of Grace allowed them to come back,” said Gorayeb, heaving a sigh of relief after his wards restored order. I called for a media conference right away but a PSC messenger rushed to inform me that my name was placed back in the list. I went back in training. But I was under the microscope since then. I got heckled, with them saying I was no longer capable of winning a gold medal. This happened for weeks at a time. Some colleagues from other sports also asked if we could organize against the PSC administration for violations, which ranged from physical abuse to mulcting and other more serious offenses. I acceded to the call. I became the President of the Athlete’s Union and we organized a march to the Malacañang Palace with the hope of talking to then President Fidel Ramos. All 800 athletes and coaches joined us and when we reached the gates of Malacañang, by some stroke of luck the President was to enter the same gate where we picketed. He rolled down his window and waved us in. Once inside, he requested 10 of us to sit down with him. President Ramos, being an athlete himself, listened and understood our plight and called for an immediate hearing and investigation on the matters we brought before him. After a month of these hearings in Malacañang and with the kind help of human rights lawyer and former Senator Renato Saguisag, the President changed the members of the entire PSC Board. We will forever be thankful to President Ramos for giving more weight to the plight of the Filipino athletes at that time. But after the hearings, the external pressure and heckling mounted and I had to ask for a change in training venue. By this time, my former coach Carlos “Pinky” Brosas was now based in Bacolod City and I asked him if he could train me away from the judging eyes of my critics. I packed up my gear and literally moved my training camp to Bacolod. I rented a house there and the people of the city welcomed me with open arms and even protected me from my critics by keeping my location secret. But after several months, I tore my groin muscles. It was devastating but I had to get the best therapists and heal fast. The best doctors at that time were in the University of the Philippines in Diliman. For a few weeks I flew to UP from Bacolod and all this time I wasn’t allowed to use my legs. I was given the go-signal to start moving my legs after two months. At this point the SEA Games were now only a few months away. (Continued next Friday)
Friday, 15 March 2019 Daily Tribune SPORTS 19 ROMASANTA, BACHMANN NAMED Vargas allies plotted coup? We’re good. We communicated this morning By Julius Manicad Ricky Vargas tagged two of his top allies – Robert Bachmann and Joey Romasanta – as masterminds in the reported plan to unseat him as president of the Philippine Olympic Committee. A highly reliable Daily Tribune source said Vargas sent Bachmann a text message on Tuesday to ask about a “special election” he’s supposed to call for the local Olympic council. Bachmann, the squash president and chairman of the powerful POC membership committee, initially thought it was about the “special elections” he was to call for the warring karatedo factions. He answered Vargas in the affirmative and the miscommunication fired up the Council chief. A few minutes later, Bachmann received a call from Romasanta who related an alleged call from Vargas who chastised the POC Vice President for allegedly working an ouster plot against him. After their very long conversation, Bachmann fired a text back to Vargas to dispel his notion. He allegedly said “don’t include me in your politics, Ricky!” Vargas tried to soften his approach by inviting Bachmann over to lunch. Bachmann declined the offer. “Bachmann was pissed off,” the Daily Tribune source said. “He is one of the most passionate and best young leaders we have in the POC. Vargas’ accusation of him as the mastermind in an effort to unseat him is very unfair. It’s good that Bachmann fought back and explained that he has no plan to rock his leadership – not at this point where we are about to enter the crucial phase of our SEA Games preparation.” Bachmann fired a text back to Vargas to dispel his notion. He allegedly said “don’t include me in your politics, Ricky!” In a conversation with Daily Tribune, Bachmann meekly brushed off the issue, saying they already patched things up. “He already apologized to Romasanta. We’re okay now,” said Bachmann without elaborating. “He simply texted me and clarified that he is not upset and it does not necessarily mean that he believes what was disclosed to him.” “We’re good. We communicated this morning.” Romasanta and Bachmann have made a major gamble in helping Vargas end the 13-year reign of Jose “Peping” Cojuangco in the Olympic council via a court-ordered election last year. Bachmann was the first to come out in the open to throw his support for Vargas at the height of the POC elections last year. He served as Vargas’ ground commander in the campaign, prompting other NSA leaders to jump in that led to Vargas’ victory. Romasanta was a key Cojuangco ally who served as POC spokesman before assuming leadership of the Philippine Karate Federation-NSA and Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. Several POC executive board members are reportedly unhappy with Vargas’ handling of the country’s SEA Games preparation. But things went sour between him and his boss at the Hacienda Luisita for more than four decades. He shifted support to Vargas. In the POC elections, Romasanta delivered what multiple sources branded as “six life-changing votes” that keyed Vargas’ 24-15 victory over Cojuangco. “Both Bachmann and Romasanta took risks to support Vargas,” the source said.“It’s really unfair — if not insulting — for them to receive text messages from Vargas, accusing them of plotting his ouster. They may disagree with him over some issues, but both Romasanta and Bachmann very are loyal to him.” Several POC executive board members are reportedly unhappy with Vargas’ handling of the country’s SEA Games preparation. They accuse him of making major decisions without seeking board approval. Some POC board members vowed to raise in the next executive council meeting Vargas’ grant of P7.2 million to the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee to cover the salaries of its employees for the month of January this year without their approval. Lady Bulldogs keep hopes alive The Lady Bulldogs pulled off a shocker last Wednesday when they stunned the heavy favorites Lady Maroons By Joel Orellana National University’s upset of tournament favorite University of the Philippines last Wednesday somehow put the Lady Bulldogs back in the Final Four contention of Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball tournament. And rookie coach Norman Miguel said it was a product of their hard work and the contribution of NU’s former coach Babes Castillo to the character of the team. The Lady Bulldogs pulled off a shocker last Wednesday when they stunned the heavy favorites Lady Marooons, 25-17, 14-25, 17-25, 25-23, 17-15, to snap a three-game losing streak and improve their ranking to 2-4. “I always instill in them that every match, just enjoy it. We’ve been training every day and their technical skills are improving. There’s no real pressure to us at all,” said Miguel, who drew 17 points, 10 off attacks and seven on aces from rookie sensation Princess Robles. “After our game against UST, we talked that our last two games in the first round are very important. Not the start of the second round. That they need to step up. And I’m happy because even though most of them are rookies, they stepped up,” he added. NU was on the brink of joining Adamson University and University of the East at the cellar after trailing 10-14 in the fifth set. But Robles and fellow rookie Ivy Lacsina, who finished with 16 markers, joined forces and finished the match with a 7-1 assault to shock the crowd. Another Lady Bulldog rookie Jennifer Nierva also played with composure with 29 excellent receptions and 26 digs in their five-set victory. And Miguel was not surprised with the performance of his rookies. RICKY Vargas, Joey Romasanta and Robert Bachmann. Rain or Shine fans edge bid We have to go hard against Meralco if we want a chance to get one of the Top Two spots By John Bryan Ulanday Skidding Rain or Shine eyes to revive its playoff bonus bid when it goes up against Meralco in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup today at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. Though still in good spot at second place, the Elasto Painters gun for a crucial win in the main game at 7 p.m. to avoid any complications from trailing teams like San Miguel Beer, Talk ‘N Text and Barangay Ginebra for one of the twice-to-beat incentives in the post-season. Alaska, meanwhile, seeks to end its two-game skid to install order back in their shaky campaign against streaking Talk ‘N Text in the 4:30 p.m. curtain raiser. After starting the All-Filipino conference on fire with a 7-1 slate, the wards of head coach Caloy Garcia are now in sudden free fall with two losses in a row against Talk ‘N Text and Columbian which doomed their chances of claiming an outright quarterfinal advantage. MARC Pingris (left) hopes to be back in his best form soon. The playoffs-bound Elasto Painters’ recent loss was a painful 82-85 defeat to Columbian last Wednesday which they also failed to beat even once in three season matches last year. But their good start gave them enough cushion to still fan their fate heading into the last game against Meralco. “That’s the upside in having a good start. We started 7-1 so these losses still gave us time to learn and improve,” he said. Rain or Shine will need a victory tonight to finish at 8-3 and just hope for losses by the other trailing squads to secure a top two finish and a twice-to-beat edge in the playoffs. In front of the Elasto Painters is leagueleader Phoenix with 8-2 card while behind them are San Miguel Beer (6-3), Talk ‘N Text (5-3) and Barangay Ginebra (4- GARCIA 3) which all have chances Blue Eagles’ quick rebound Cignal-Ateneo started hot, going on a 9-0 start which turned to a decisive 27-9 lead in the first period Cignal-Ateneo wasted no time blasting AMA Online Education, 111-81, to bounce back in the 2019 PBA D-League on Thursday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig. Ange Kouame unfurled 22 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Blue Eagles after his one-game absence, while Thirdy Ravena recorded 14 points, eight assists and four rebounds in just three quarters of action. BJ Andrade also added 21 points on a 6-of-13 three-point shooting, on top of five dimes and three rebounds. William Navarro had 14 points, nine boards, and five assists and Mike Nieto tallied a double-double with his 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Cignal-Ateneo started hot, going on a 9-0 start which turned to a decisive 27-9 lead in the first period. The floodgates opened from there as the Blue Eagles extended the lead to as many as 33 points in the second half, thanks to their 16-of-43 clip from downtown. It was a good bounce back for Cignal-Ateneo, which suffered a 112-98 loss to UST last week. By John Bryan Ulanday to cap off their campaigns with 8-3 marks for a multiple-team logjam on top. “We still have a chance. We have one more game before we end the eliminations. We have to go hard against Meralco if we want a chance to get one of the Top Two spots,” Garcia said. That’s the upside in having a good start. We started 7-1 so these losses still gave us time to learn and improve. Leading the attack for Rain or Shine are veterans James Yap, Beau Belga, Maverick Ahanmisi, Gabe Norwood and impressive freshman Javee Mocon who was named as the Rookie of the Month in February. Challenging them are Baser Amer, Chris Newsome, Ranidel De Ocampo Cliff Hodge and Nico Salva while wing man Jared Dillinger will still not be available due to a quad injury. Pingris closer to return I’m okay. I’m getting better After a year’s absence, veteran big man Marc Pingris is close to rejoining Magnolia in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup. The 37-year old was back in the Hotshots practice early this week, 12 months after suffering from an ACL injury back in Game One of Magnolia’s PBA All Filipino conference semi-finals series against NLEX last March. “I’m okay. I’m getting better,” said Pingris who also joined Magnolia’s shootaround Wednesday before their 109-83 win over Columbian at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Pingris, however, did not suit up yet as he still has a hop test to pass before finally getting a doctor’s clearance. Pingris can’t wait to welcome the whole PBA delegation to his home province in the coming mid-season spectacle slated from 29 to 31 March in Calasiao. “I’m working out every day — doing sprint, jumping and shooting. The only problem left now is getting the proper timing on landing. That’s the most crucial thing,” he said. “That’s my hop test. So far, I’m at 85 percent on that requirement but once I reach 100 percent, I’m good to go.” Pingris did not assure an exact date of return but hinted at coming back in time for the playoffs where Magnolia is on track with a 3-4 slate in the All-Filipino conference elimination round. He looks forward to hosting his colleagues and coaches in the upcoming PBA All Star Weekend. A Pozzurobio, Pangasinan native, the North Team member Pingris can’t wait to welcome the whole PBA delegation to his home province in the coming mid-season spectacle slated from 29 to 31 March in Calasiao. “It’s my pride and honor because I’m one of Pangasinan’s sons. Whatever coach Louie Alas, or the bosses or Commissioner Willie Marcial asks me to do, I’ll do it for my fellow Pangasinenses,” he said. “If they ask me to play, I would try to play. I would even dance, too.
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15 MARCH 2019

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