The Philippines captured two medals in the team of four event in the 30th Southeast Asian Games bowling competitions Friday at the Coronado Lanes in Starmall EDSA-Shaw.
The four-man crew of Kenneth Chua, Patrick Nuqui, Frederick Ong, Merwin Tan earned a silver finish in the men's division, garnering a total of 4,937 pinfalls. Malaysia won the gold medal with its total of 4,980 while Thailand settled for bronze at 4,896.
In the women's division, the quartet of Liza Del Rosario, Lara Posadas-Wong, Bea Hernandez, Alexis Sy took home the bronze with their total of 4, 735 pinfalls. The Philippines was leading after the first block with 2,452, but could not sustain its lead in the second block. Singapore earned the top prize with its score of 4, 833 while Malaysia made a late rally to nab the silver with 4, 803.
"It feels great. It really feels great because the whole week we were there. We were so close to getting medals and finally, we got the silver medal. It feels really great," said Patrick Nuqui, the youngest of the men's team at 18-years-old. "And all the hard work paid off. All our struggles, we just forgot about it and we really just fought in the last event.
Tan did the heavy lifting for the men's squad, hitting 1,373 pinfalls - the most by any player in the event. The women's team, meanwhile, was carried by 19-year-old Bea Hernandez and her score of 1, 370.
"It was really fun. You can really feel the crowd cheering for you," said Posadas-Wong. "You're so motivated to win because we're the hosts."
"It's really a great feeling," echoed Chua. "It's really surreal because all the supporters have been here all week. Even though they're tired, they still showed. So we really thank them. This win is for them."
The Philippines failed to win a medal in the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in the past three days before finally breaking through in the team of four event. The win was significant for Philippine bowling as it marked a return of the country to the podium.
"It's a big thing for bowling. We had a medal drought since 2011, that was the last medal for us in the SEA Games," said Frederick Ong, a gold medalist in the men's singles event back in 2011 in Indonesia. "There were other SEA Games that there wasn't a bowling event and there were years there was bowling but we didn't get a medal. So this is big for us. This proves that if there is ample support, we can produce results."
The bronze medal was also particularly sweet for the women's division as it was the last event for veteran Del Rosario.
"We worked as a team before. In the previous SEA games, the team has always been there," said Del Rosario. "Of course, it's extra special because this is my last SEA Games, so I'm so proud of the team.
"I guess we're really improving so the next generation is sort of getting there so this is a huge help for us also."
The Philippines will try to win more medals in the Master's event beginning on Saturday. Only the top 16 players per division after the four events were able to qualify. The trio of Hernandez, Sy, and Posadas-Wong will compete in the women's division while Tan and Nuqui will enter the men's division.