BMX rider Caluag ends PH’s gold medal hunt, Gilas finishes in 7th

GOLDEN BOY. Daniel Patrick Caluag ended the Philippines’ hunt for the elusive gold medal in the 17th Asian Games by ruling the men’s BMX event at the Ganghwa Asiad BMX Track in Incheon, South Korea on Wednesday. (INQUIRER)

Incheon, South Korea—For flag and country, for the people who braved the noontime sun and cheered for him from the stands here and for his wife and newborn baby at home—all that inspiration balled into a tightly clenched fist that Daniel Caluag pumped as he looked at the stands a split second before crossing the finish line.

The wait for the gold in the 17th Asian Games is over, delivered in dominating fashion by a soft-spoken biker who never trailed in ruling cycling’s BMX event at Ganghwa Asiad BMX Track here.

“It’s fantastic,” said the 27-year-old biker. “This is for the country. This is for my baby and my wife.”

The gold was the first for the country in this meet. The Philippines had endured 13 days of rough patches, of its beloved basketball squad going through a torturous test that saw it plunging to its worst finish ever, and of having to be content with finding solace in a scatter of silver and bronze medals before Caluag finally broke through.

The result did not exactly create a seismic shift in the Asiad standings, but the Philippine collection was far better than it was before Caluag’s victory: The medal count now stands at 1-2-5 (gold-silver-bronze).

“It’s always good to be able to win and show that Filipinos can do it in the world stage,” Caluag said. “I’m glad to have won the first gold for our country and I hope there’s more to come from our boxers and the other sports that have yet to compete.”

That might take a little work.

TAEKWONDO, BOXING

Just across the street from the bike track where Caluag rode to victory, taekwondo managed to squeeze out a bronze medal—the third from the team after two days of competition but saw two other bets crash Wednesday at Gwangha Dolmens Gymnasium.

Boxing? It will put all four remaining bets still in the hunt on the block Thursday at Seonhak Gymnasium as they face separate semifinal opponents in a bid to assure themselves of at least a silver medal.

Charly Suarez battles Obada Mohammad Mustafa Alkasbeh of Jordan for a spot in the lightweight final, Mario Fernandez takes on China’s Zhang Jiawei for a chance to shoot for the gold in the bantamweight class while Wilfredo Lopez battles Odai Riyad Adel Alhindawi of Jordan in the middleweight semifinals.

Mark Anthony Barriga, however, faces the toughest task of the group as he seeks a finals slot in the light flyweight division against hometown bet Shin Jonghun. The Asiad has already provided a cautionary tale for the Filipinos: Late Tuesday night, an Indian female boxer virtually beat up her Korean foe but still lost in the eyes of the judges.

Taekwondo’s latest bronze medal came from Mary Anjelay Pelaez, who defeated Myanmar’s Nway Nway, 3-0, in the quarterfinals of the women’s -46kg class. But she lost in her bid to make it to the semifinal when she dropped a lopsided 14-2 decision to Korean bet Kim Sohui.

GILAS FINISHES 7TH

At Songdo LNG Baseball Stadium, China hammered out a 3-0 victory that ended the Philippine Blu Girls’ hopes for a medal here.

Gilas Pilipinas, meanwhile, scored an 84-68 victory over Mongolia at Hwaseong Sports Complex gymnasium to seal its worst finish in the Asian Games at seventh place.

It is understandable to overlook those losses for a day after Caluag’s golden feat.

The California-born rider had to endure criticisms of his no-show in UCI-sanctioned races  and also had to leave his family just two days after his daughter was born.

“It was hard to leave just two days after my baby was born, but this was something I had to do for the country and for my baby too,” Caluag said.

Japan’s Masahiro Sampei took silver while China’s Zhu Yan rallied in the third and final heat to steal the bronze medal from Daniel’s younger brother CJ who was running third before the final race. /by Francis TJ Ochoa