MANILA – Ilonggo trackster Daniel Enderes Jr. added a silver to Team Philippines’ medal haul in the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games in Manama, Bahrain.
Enderes, a native of Barangay Rizal, Ibarra in Iloilo City, claimed the country’s sixth silver medal in the week-long tournament. He placed second in the 1,500-meter T20 class of the men’s under-20 division.
Enderes was the second Western Visayas-based player to make a splash in the 2021 Asian Youth Games after Silay City, Negros Occidental swimmer Ariel Joseph Alegarbes.
Alegarbes delivered the country’s first-ever swimming gold medal in the competition. He topped the 100-meter butterfly S14 multiclass for boys 17-18. He also harvested silver medals in SB14 100-meter breaststroke and men’s 100-meter backstroke.
The 17-year-old Alegarbes, however, was unsuccessful at the close of his events on Monday evening. He failed to land a podium finish in the 200-meter individual medley event.
Linard Sultan, for his part, captured two silver medals in the men’s singles and mixed team events in table tennis while Mary Eloise Sable chipped in a bronze in women’s mixed team.
Sultan faltered to Iranian Seyed Amirhossein Hosseinipour, 3-2, in the gold medal round and was with a Kuwaiti and a Singapore in the mixed team that settled for a bridesmaid finish.
Sable, for her part, was with the Malaysians when they copped a bronze medal in the women’s mixed team event after dropping their semifinals match.
Overall, Team Philippines had a respectable campaign in the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games with one gold, six silvers and two bronze medals. The country sent 20 athletes across six sports in the tournament.
“We are very pleased. We have done well. I told the delegation that we will go home with medals and a lot of experience. We are all winners,’’ said Team Philippines chef de mission Judd Anastacio./PN
