HANGZHOU, Chin—Lady lawyer Cheyzer Mendoza and FIDE Master Sander Severino continued to lead the charge as the Philippine chess team appeared headed to another bountiful harvest in the 4th edition of the Asian Para Games here.
Severino, a quadruple gold medalist in the previous Asian Games, defeated compatriot Henry Lopez to share the lead with the latter in the Men’s Individual Standard PI (Physically Impaired) with identical 3.5 points with two rounds to go.
Severino, who topped the Men’s Individual and Men’s Team, Rapid and Standard Events, Class P1 in the Jakarta Asian Games, was playing against Appaso Kutwal Shashikant (3 points) of India in the Round of 6 late in the afternoon.
The national chess squad contributed five of Team Philippines’s 10 gold medal haul in Jakarta, on top of two silvers and six bronzes.
In the women’s side, Mendoza upstaged Indonesia’s Farta Nasip Simanja as they ended up tied at the top of the standings with identical 3.5 points going into the final two rounds.
Mendoza, who passed the bar exam last year, was to face another Indian chesser in Sharon Rachel Aby, conqueror of Filipina Cheryl Angot on the same day.
Angot is also a strong contender for a medal with 3 points after five rounds.
Early in the day, lone taekwondo bet Alain Ganapin lost his first match by disqualification, 3-7, to Norlan Dombayev of Kazakstan in the Men’s K44 -80KG quarterfinal.
Ganapin, a Tokyo Olympics’ qualifier who failed to participate after he was stricken with the COVID-19 virus, was just down by a point, 3-4, eventually dropped the match following a 3-point penalty for hitting Dombayev in the head twice.
In athletics, Cendy Asusano and Jesebel Tordecilla ended up 6th and 7th respectively, in the final of the Women’s Discus Throw F54/55.
Over at the CSC Velodrome, Nikko Peralta bombed out of the medal round after placing 10th among 16 participants in the qualifying race of the Men’s c4-5 4000m Individual Pursuit.
Only four cyclists advanced to themedal rounds, where the top two were to compete for the gold and the nos. 3 and 4 battle for the bronze medal.
“The sixth round will be critical for us, but so far we are in a promising position in all three categories,” Infiesto said, adding that the outcome will be known after the seventh and final round Thursday morning. Making a surprise visit to the PH para chess team members before the chessers saw action in the sixth round, was Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo, who gave them encouraging words. “While I don’t want to pressure you given what you accomplished in the 2018 Asian Para Games, my prayer is that you continue to do your best and display the same mental fortitude five years ago in Indonesia,” said Barredo.