Olympic boxing medalist Eumir Marcial begins his quest for a fourth straight SEA Games gold as the Philippines looks to create separation for the No. 3 spot in the medal table
MANILA, Philippines – Eumir Marcial kicks off his repeat gold bid in Vietnam as the Philippines looks to stay in the top three of the Southeast Asian Games medal tally on Thursday, May 19.
A bronze medalist in the Tokyo Olympics, Marcial guns for his fourth straight SEA Games gold and third consecutive in the middleweight division.
Boxing is expected to deliver as the Philippines, which has won 38 golds, holds a slim lead over Singapore (37) and Indonesia (36) for the No. 3 spot in the medal table going into the last four days of the competition.
In the 2019 SEA Games, the Philippines emerged as the top performing nation in boxing, winning seven golds, three silvers, and two bronzes.
Gilas Pilipinas shoots for a 4-0 start as it tangles with host Vietnam in the round-robin tournament where the team with the best record will capture gold.
After a narrow 76-73 win over Thailand in its men’s basketball opener, the Philippines went on to beat Cambodia and Singapore by a whopping margin of 59.5 points.
Over in women’s volleyball, the Philippines pursues a slim chance to reach the gold medal match when it faces Vietnam in the final game of the preliminary round.
With a win, the Philippines will tie Vietnam and Indonesia at 2-2 for second place, which could merit a spot in the battle for gold against unbeaten Thailand.
A loss will still keep the Philippines in medal contention for the bronze.
Tennis star Alex Eala returns to action as she and partner Treat Huey go up against Thailand for a finals berth in mixed doubles action.
More medals will be contested in beach volleyball, rhythmic gymnastics, athletics, archery, esports, and taekwondo.
– Rappler.com
