The country’s brightest hope in weightlifting, Elreen Ann Ando, wound up fifth in the women’s 61kgs while Sonny Wagdos won’t start in marathon start because he fell sick on Friday in the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games.
In boxing, Riza Pasuit bowed to Thailand’s Natnicha Chongprongklang, 0-5, in women’s 54-kg class, while Junmilardo Ogayre made up for her loss on Friday by eliminating Nepal’s Khagendra Roka Magar, 5-0, in men’s 60 kgs class.
Ogayre joined Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam as the last boxers standing in the games where the Filipino athletes’ participation is supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission.
Ando lifted 101kgs in the snatch and 123 kgs in the clean and jerk and fell short by 13 kgs for the bronze, which Chinese Taipei’s Kuo Hsing-Chun took with 237 kgs total lift behind gold medalist Yang Liuyue (251 kgs) of China and silver medalist Pak Jin Hae (248 kgs) of North Korea.
Wagdos, meanwhile, was withdrawn from Saturday’s marathon because of high fever on Friday.
‘I’m backing out of the marathon category due to high fever. I don’t know why, maybe it’s hard to adapt to the weather from hot to cold,’ Wagdos said in social media.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association secretary-general Jasper Tanhueco said that Wagdos had already been dealing with illness and taking medication even before arriving in Nagoya.
‘He’s feeling better now, but we consulted with the coaches but the priority if the well-being ng athlete,’ Tanhueco said. ‘It’s the marathon, it’s a tough race.’
With the 32-year-old Philippine Air Force sergeant out, Richard Salano will be running as the lone Philippine representative in the race.
Athletics officials are hoping Wagdos will be well in time for the men’s 5,000 meters on September 29.