OLYMPIAN KURT BARBOSA CRUISES TO TAEKWONDO GOLD

Taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa dominated Thai foe Panachai Jaijulla, 16-7, in men’s kyorugi -54kg.

This is the country’s second taekwondo gold after Jocel Ninobla copped the first in poomsae last Monday, May 16.

LEBRON, LOPEZ GILAS PILIPINAS CRUSH CAMBODIA BY 68

Gilas Pilipinas shredded Cambodia to pieces in a 100-32 blowout to pick up its second straight win in as many games and gain much-needed momentum in its bid for 14th straight gold medal.

Youngster Francis “LeBron” Lopez led the way with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks for the Philippines, which asserted its dominance after a narrow win against Thailand a day before.

(READ: LeBron Lopez unleashed as Gilas Pilipinas rips Cambodia by 68)

ALEX EALA SWEEPS SEA GAMES OPENER

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala impressed in her SEA Games opener as she swept Laos’ Phonphatehep Philavong, 6-2, 6-1, in the women’s singles event.

Eala advanced to the quarterfinals alongside teammate Jenaila Rose Prulla.

Defending men’s doubles champion Francis Casey Alcantara and Jeson Patrombon also qualified for the quarterfinals after crushing Cambodia.

ERIC CRAY RACES TO GOLD IN 400M HURDLES

Fil-Am Eric Cray zoomed ahead to in the 400-meter hurdles with a golden time of 50.41 seconds.

The 33-year-old veteran bested Vietnam’s bet Lich Quang Cong (50.82s) and Singaporean Jun Jie Calvin Quek (51.19s) to win his fifth straight gold in the event.

(READ: SEA Games vets Cray, Amit prop up PH campaign with repeat golds)

PH BAGS FIRST MUAY THAI GOLD

The Philippines captured its first gold medal in muay thai as Richein Yosorez and Islay Erika Bomogao ruled the women’s waikru mai muay.

Yosorez and Bomogao bested their Vietnamese and Thai foes for the top prize.

RUBILEN AMIT DEFENDS NINE-BALL GOLD

Pool star Rubilen Amit bagged the Philippines’ first billiards gold in Vietnam as she defended her title in women’s nine-ball singles.

Amit, now an eight-time SEA Games gold medalist, defeated Singapore’s Jessica Tan, 7-2, in the finals.

(READ: PH pool star Rubilen Amit retains SEA Games gold in 9-ball)

PH BOXING OFF TO STERLING START WITH BAUTISTA WIN

Ian Clark Bautista opened the Philippines’ campaign in boxing on a high after he scored a lopsided unanimous decision win over Singaporean Mohammad Hanurdeen Bin.

Bautista earned the nod of all five judges to advance to the men’s featherweight semifinals.

INDONESIA DENTS PH WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PODIUM BID

The Philippines’ road to the podium just got tougher after bowing to Indonesia, 25-23, 21-25, 25-15, 25-20, in the SEA Games women’s volleyball elimination round.

The Filipinas dropped to 1-2 in the standings while the Indonesians rise to 2-2. The Philippines must now hope for a Vietnam loss to Thailand later in the day in order to preserve their gold-medal chances.

(READ: Indonesia dents PH women’s volley SEA Games podium bid with 4-set win)

BIADO, CHUA VIE FOR 9-BALL GOLD IN ALL-FILIPINO CLASH

The Philippines is guaranteed of a gold medal in men’s nine-ball as Carlo Biado and Johann Chua arranged an all-Filipino title showdown.

Biado and Chua both trounced their Singaporean foes to advance to the gold-medal match.

(READ: Sure SEA Games gold for PH as Biado, Chua tangle in 9-ball finals)

Preview

Gilas Pilipinas will try to assert its dominance in the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam as the Philippines seeks another fruitful medal haul on Tuesday, May 17.

The Philippines’ bid for a 14th straight gold in men’s basketball did not start exactly as it would have wanted after narrowly escaping Thailand with a 76-73 squeaker in its SEA Games opener.

But Gilas Pilipinas gets a prime chance to build momentum as it shoots for its second straight win in Vietnam against lowly Cambodia.

Cambodia lost all of its three group games in the 2019 SEA Games by a margin of 26.7 points before it beat Myanmar in the classification stage to avoid a last-place finish.

Elsewhere, the Philippines aims to return to the winning column in women’s volleyball following a straight-sets drubbing from defending champion Thailand as it tangles with Indonesia.

The Filipinas badly need a victory to remain on track of their first podium finish since 2005, with the top two in the five-team tournament advancing to the gold medal match.

Meanwhile, the No. 3 and 4 seeds will vie for the bronze.

Over in billiards, Rubilen Amit pursues a 10th medal throughout her SEA Games career as she eyes to defend her gold in women’s nine-ball.

Also set to see action on Tuesday are the Philippines’ athletics, beach volleyball, taekwondo, and swimming teams.

– Rappler.com