Philippine Asiad medal tally best since 1962
17/12/2006 11:51
The Philippines closed out its Asian Games campaign with four gold medals,
six silvers and nine bronzes for its best finish since 1962, local media
reported yesterday.
Thanks to boxers Violito Payla and Joan Tipon, cue artist
Antonio Gabica and wushu fighter Rene Catalan, Philippine delegation rallied at
the finish to salvage 18th place overall, said a report by The Philippine Star
daily.
It was a notch higher than what the Filipinos accomplished in the 2002
Games in Busan, South Korea, which produced a 3-7-16 haul, and it bettered by
one silver the 1986 Asian Gamers' feat in Seoul, said the report.
The
Filipinos recorded their best showing at home in 1954 when they won 14 golds, 14
silvers and 17 bronzes and had 8-9-21 in Tokyo in 1958.
But after racking up
a 7-4-16 haul in the Jakarta Games in 1962, the Filipinos' performance in the
Asiad took a tailspin, winning only two golds, 15 silvers and 25 bronzes in
Thailand in 1966, posting a 1-9-12 tally in Bangkok in 1970, making 0-2-10 in
Iran in 1974, tallying 4-4-6 in 1978 in Thailand, taking 2-3-9 in India in 1982,
winning 4-5-9 in Seoul Games in 1986, settling for 1-2-7 in 1990 in Beijing,
winning 3-2-8 in the 1994 in Hiroshima and posting a 1-5-12 tally in 1998 in
Bangkok.
Philippines won three golds, five silvers and seven bronzes in the
inaugural Games in India in 1951.
Sports officials have lauded the national
athletes' performance but observers believe there's much work to be done to
improve the Filipinos' caliber and cope up with the level of competition, said
the report.
Xinhua News
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