MANILA – Chess player Sander Severino increased his gold medal haul further after capturing two more in the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Philippine player stamped class in the rapid event when he claimed the men’s individual P1 trophy and in the team event with Henry Lopez and Jasper Rom on Friday in Cempaka Putih district.
A FIDE Master native of Silay City, Negros Occidental, Severino dominated the individual event with a score of 6.0 in seven matches. Finishing behind the 33-year-old were Lopez (5.0) and Rom (4.5).
The trio had a whopping total of 15.5 points in the team event.
Arman Subaste ended up with bronze in the men’s individual rapid VI – B2/B3, while the teams of Arman Subaste, Redor Menandro and Israel Peligroso (B2-B3), and Francis Ching, Rodolfo Sarmiento and Cecilio Bilog (B1) captured bronzes, too.
Swimmer Ernie Gawilan, meanwhile, also raised his gold haul when he topped the men’s freestyle 400m S7 (6-7) with 4 minutes and 56.98 – just 35 seconds ahead of the second best competitor.
It was the third gold medal of the 27-year-old Gawilan in the competition after topping men’s 100m backstroke S7 and men’s 50m backstroke S7.
In cycling, Arthus Bucay came away with the gold medal in the men’s C5 4000m individual pursuit after defeating Indonesian Sufyat Saori in a tightly contested final round.
The Philippines, which has not won a gold medal ever in the Asian Para Games until this year, remained on 11th place with a medal tally of 10 golds, eight silvers and 11 bronzes./PN
