MANILA – Ilonggo wushu athlete Arnel Mandal was robbed of the chance to defend his gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games from May 5 to 17 at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Iloilo City native was deemed ineligible to retain his gold medal in the sanda 5 6-kilogram category after the Cambodia SEA Games organizing committee adjusted the age limit for participants.
According to a report by Radyo Pilipinas 2, the organizers of the biennial games set the age limit of participants for wushu to 26 years and below. Mandal is already 28 years old.
Mandal said in the radio interview it was disappointing that he was ruled ineligible for the competition but will turn his focus to other competitions such as the Asian Games and the World Championships.
“It was disappointing but I think it is about time to give others the chance to compete at the SEA Games,” said Mandal, who is also a gold medal winner in Asian Games and World Championships.
“My focus will now be on the other tournaments taking place later this year,” added the Ilonggo wushu athlete, who is replaced by Asian Wushu Championship bronze medal winner Carlos Baylon.
Mandal was the lone gold medal winner for the Philippine Wushu/Sanda team in the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. He defeated Indonesia’s Laksmana Pandu Pratama in the gold medal match.
The Wushu Federation Philippines, however, were still doing a last-ditch effort. They appealed to International Wushu Federation the age restriction set by Cambodia SEA Games organizing committee.
Aside from Mandal, also deemed eligible from competing in the SEA Games were his fellow Ilonggo Francis Solis, who captured a bronze medal in Vietnam, and Clement Tabugara.
Aside from Baylon, also in the five-man Philippine sanda team are Jennifer Kilapio (48kgs), Russel Diaz (52kgs), Gideon Padua (60kgs), and Xander Alipio in (65kgs)./PN
