THREE Cebuanos will banner the country’s colors in the inaugural Asian Beach Games which opens today at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana in Bali, Indonesia.
Cebu’s beach volleyball princess Jusabelle Brillo and Jonrey Sasing with tanker Paula Abigail Vega will be competing in their respective sports in the competition.
The trio will be part of the 188-strong Philippine delegation competing in the games.
Brillo, who helped steer the University of the Visayas to the 2007 national beach volleyball title, will be playing alongside Ilo-ilo City’s Nerissa Bautista in beach volleyball. Brillo only joined the RP team a few months back, while Bautista has been with the team for two years as an undertrainee.
The high-flying Sasing, whose skills earned him the moniker Air Sasing, finally heeded the calls of the RP team honchos and will also be playing in his first international competition. He is paired with veteran Rhoyvl Verayo. Sasing won the Nestea beach volleyball national title for University of San Jose Recoletos before he transferred to the University of Southern Philippines Foundation this year.
For Brillo’s mentor at UV, coach Raffy Briones, he has nothing but pride for his former player.
“I am so very proud and happy especially since it has been a long time since we had someone from Cebu making it to the national team,” Briones said.
The last Cebuanos who made it to the senior national volleyball team were Grace Antigua and the Jao twins.
Vega, on the other hand, the swimming stalwart of the University of Cebu, will be competing in the marathon swimming event. She will be joined by RP youth team member Nikita Dacera of General Santos City, Kiefer Ticao of Iloilo and Marvie Borja. They earned their slots to the RP delegation after topping the Olango Challenge, where they had to navigate the Hilutungan Channel over the summer.
Entries
The Philippines will be fielding players in 13 of the 17 events with entries in surfing, sailing, beach football, beach wrestling, sepak takraw, pencak silat, bodybuilding, dragonboat racing, marathon swimming, windsurfing, triathlon and wood ball. There are no entries in paragliding, jet ski and handball.
In surfing, five Filipinos who figured dominantly in last month’s Billabong Cloud 9 International Surfing Championships in Siargao, Surigao del Norte, will banner the country’s colors in Bali. They are Surigao’s Carlito Nodalo, Edito Alcala, Dodo Espejon and lady surfer Neldy Rietenbach and Luke Landrigan of La Union. (MCB)
