MANILA – The silver and bronze medals of the Hermie Macaranas-OJ Fuentes tandem in the Asian Under-23 Canoe Championships in Uzbekistan surely glittered like gold.
No wonder since they were the Philippines’ first medals in an Asian competition in 16 years.
The last medal the country won in an Asian competition was in 2002. At the time the delegation was led by current head coach Len Escollante.
Macaranas and Fuentes first bagged the bronze medal in the 1,000m event behind the host team Uzbekistan and Kazakahstan, which clinched gold and silver, respectively.
The bronze inspired the pair to excel further in the competition as they captured the silver in the 200m event where they almost upset the Asian Games medalists from Kazakhstan.
“We will work harder for more successes like in the next Asian Games and in qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics,” the 22-year-old Macaranas said.
“It was a huge achievement for the country … [its] first Asian competition medals in 16 years,” the 21-year-old Fuentes added.
Macaranas and Fuentes were invited to the Asian Championships after placing fifth in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia./PN
