The opening of the national team against Indonesia was disappointing, losing in the semifinals, 21-15, 24-25, 17-19, settling for the bronze in the 19th Asian Games sepak takraw men’s quadrant at the Jinhua Sports Centre Gymnasium in Zhejiang Province on Tuesday afternoon.
This is the Philippines’ good consolation medal, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, in their fifth appearance in the 45-nation, 16-day sports conclave.
Jason Huerte, Rheyjey Ortouste, Vince Alyson Torno, and Mark Joseph Gonzales led in the first set, fell short in the second, and in the tie-breaker to secure the bronze against Japan.
The PH squad advanced to the Final 4 with a 3-1 won-lost record in the Group B preliminaries.
They defeated Japan, 21-18, 11-21, 21-19, and South Korea, 21-17, 11-21, 21-12, on Sunday morning and afternoon.
Coach Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Eco’s team swept Singapore on Tuesday morning, 21-8, 21-15, setting up a showdown with the Indonesians in the evening. Indonesia and Myanmar will vie for the gold on Wednesday morning (Oct. 4).
Huerte, 28, from Marikina, and Ortouste were the remaining players from the 10-player PH team that competed in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asiad.
Sepak takraw became a medal sport in this 45-nation, 16-day sports festival in 1990 in Beijing.
