Hangzhou ASIAD comes to a close

HANGZHOU – As the biggest Asian Games in history comes to a close tonight at the futuristic Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, karateka Junna Tsukii caps Team Philippines’ magnificent campaign when she sees action in the women’s -50kg class.

She’s the last but not the least.

And if Tsukii fights true to form or gets lucky, then Team Philippines, now with four gold, two silver and a dozen bronze medals, may surpass its medal haul of 4-2-15 in the 2018 edition in Jakarta.

It all rests on the shoulders of the 32-year-old Tsukii, who won the gold in her division during the 2023 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, and the gold in the 2019 SEA Games in Manila.

In Jakarta five years ago, she salvaged the bronze, and this time, in probably her last Asian Games, should want a perfect souvenir from this cold, capital city of Zhejiang province.

Tsukii goes up against Srey Phea Chonn of Cambodia in the morning session, just when the big chunk of the Philippine delegation checks out of the massive Athletes Village to take the flight back home.

“We’ll see. She can still deliver a medal for us,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino, who, as of now, has hit his target of four golds – regardless of how many silver and bronze medals are in the bag.

“It was delivered. Sinabi ko sa inyo, four golds,” said Tolentino the morning after Team Philippines took the biggest win of all – the gold in men’s basketball.

Pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and Jiu-jitsu’s Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez delivered the three other golds while Arnel Mandal of wushu and Eumir Marcial of boxing provided the silvers. The bronze medals came from poomsae, wushu, tennis, BMX, weightlifting, sepak takraw, karate and Jiu-jitsu.

It now depends on Tsukii, who finished her studies at the Takushoku University in Tokyo, if Team Philippines will do better, in terms of the number of medals won, than 2018.

A gold or even a silver will make that happen.

As of 7 p.m. last night, the Chinese are miles and miles away with 194 gold, 108 silver and 67 bronze medals. Rounding out the Top 5 are Japan (48-62-67), South Korea (39-55-89), India (28-35-41) and Uzbekistan (21-18-27). The Philippines is at 17th