Cebuana lifter snatches bronze

HANGZHOU – Weightlifter Elreen Ando delivered a bronze medal just as the day was about to end, averting what could have been a medal-less Monday for Team Philippines in the 19th Asian Games here.

Ando, fourth placer in the 2018 Asiad in Indonesia and seventh in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, gave members of the Philippine delegation a sigh of relief with her impressive total lift of 222kg.

The 24-year-old from Cebu clenched her fists after securing her first Asian Games medal with a 126kg in the clean and jerk. She had 96kg on her third and last attempt in the snatch.

“Nalungkot talaga ako noong nag-zero ako sa Asian Championships. Nawala ang lungkot at napalitan ng saya dahil sa medalya na ito,’’ said Ando, who missed the podium in the Asian meet earlier this year.

Ando was so ecstatic with her bronze, and the P400,000 in cash incentives that will go with it.

“Gusto kong bigyan ng reward at birthday gift ang sarili ko dahil matagal ko na gustong magkabahay,” said the lifter who will turn 25 on Nov. 1.

North Korea’s Rim Unsim pocketed the gold with 111-140-251kg (all Asian Games records) while Pei Xinyi of China settled for the silver with 104-130-234kg before a boisterous crowd that also witnessed Tokyo Games gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo finish fourth in the women’s 59kg.

Team Philippines snatched its eighth bronze medal in the Games, counting those from poomsae, wushu, tennis and BMX racing, to go with one gold and one silver courtesy of pole vaulter EJ Obiena and wushu’s Arnel Mandal. Slowly but surely, the Filipinos are moving up the tally.

For Gilas Pilipinas, it’s one down then the toughest ones to go.

Gilas earlier demolished Qatar, 80-41, and won a game it couldn’t afford to lose in a scary uphill battle in men’s basketball of the biggest Asian Games in history.

The Nationals had to win the game to stay alive following a stunning 25-point loss to Jordan the other day. With the one-sided result, they advanced to the quarterfinals of the sport dearest to Filipinos.

Whether it was a one-point win or a 39-point blowout, what’s important was that Gilas made it to the next round – safe and sound.

“We had a script in which we wanted to have to win this