PHNOM PENH–The Philippine pencak silat team is going home from the 32nd Southeast Asian Games with two silver and eight bronze medals—a beyond-expectations harvest despite missing out on a gold.
Dines Dumaan fell short of winning the country’s first and only gold in the sport after bowing to Indonesia’s Khoirudin Mustakim in men’s tanding class A (45-50 kgs) at the Chroy Changvar Convention Center on Wednesday.
“As a team for the 32nd SEA Games, we did well. More than what we expected,” Philippine Pencak Silat Association secretary general Inier Candor said.
Candor, though, could not help but feel bad for Dumaan, saying he drew the short end of the stick from the judges’ scoring.
Dumaan, a 2017 SEA Games gold medalist, lost 25-43 to Mustakim, who ruled the same event in the World Pencak Silat Championship last year in Malaysia.
“We feel there is a certain bias towards Indonesia. But in every fight, there is a winner and a loser,” said Candor.
The duo of Alfau Jan Abad and Almohaidib Abad (men’s artistic ganda double) delivered the Philippines’ other pencak silat silver for the day.
Pencak silat somehow still contributed to the Philippines’ gold charge, with its own Angel Derla scooping up a kun bokator gold in the women’s bamboo shield form event.
“We’ll do harder, train harder, the athletes will work harder so that next time, we’ll make sure that we’ll return home with a gold,” said Candor.
Image credits: Roy Domingo