Carlo Biado made sure that the men’s 9-ball singles gold will stay with the Philippines
The seasoned national campaigner edged Duong Quoc Hoang of Vietnam, 9-5, in the gold medal match to clinch the country’s 22nd gold medal of the 29th Southeast Asian Games, Sunday evening in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Biado took an early 6-3 lead and pushed it to an 8-4 advantage to go to the hill. Only the Filipino committed a blunder in the 13th rack, allowing Duong to take a lease on life at 5-8.
Nonetheless, the veteran 34-year-old used a smart counter-safety, and it was all it took for him to eventually clean the final rack and capture the gold.
Earlier, 25-year old Johann Chua failed to make it a 1-2 finish for the Philippines after Duong stopped the former on his tracks in the semifinals at 9-7.
On the other hand, Biado reached the finals after finishing off another Vietnamese, Nguyen Anh Tuan, with a much easier 9-5 score line. He beat Amnuayporn Chotipong of Thailand, 9-3, in the quarterfinals.
This is Biado’s second SEA Games gold after winning the men’s double event in 9-ball back in 2015 together with Warren Kiamco.
