IT'S still a big fat egg for Team Philippines in as far as the gold medal count is concerned in the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.
Expecting to finally hit pay dirt with two more Filipino athletes advancing to the finals, stunning defeats instead greeted the Philippine delegation as Antonio Gabica suffered a stinging setback in billiards and Tshomlee Go absorbed a beating from his Korean opponent in taekwondo.
Gabica was leading 7-5 in the finals of the 8-ball singles, but a fatal miss on the 8th ball in the 13th frame allowed his opponent, Satoshi Kawabata of Japan, to get back into the match.
With that sorry miscue, Gabica gave away the gold as the Japanese took the next four racks to seal the match at 9-7.
Gabica, who was favored to take this on, settled for the silver medal.
Go earlier barged into the finals of the men's 62 kg. in taekwondo, but ran into a more superior opponent in Yu Young Kim of Korea in the finals.
Go lost, 1-4, to settle for silver, and the Philippines is still without a gold to show with only five days left of competition.
Mary Antoinette Rivero bagged the country's first silver Friday in taekwondo. The Philippines also won two bronze medals.
The hunt for the gold was to resume late Sunday with the boxers, led by flyweight Violeto Payla, fighting in the semifinals.
The divers were also expected to plunge into action with Zardo Domenios and Niño Carog opening the campaign in the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard. (CRAM)
