Enriquez delivers PH's first gold in Sanya Asian Beach Games

April 24 ------ Alexandria Enriquez delivered the Philippines its first gold medal in the Asian Beach Games, dominating South Korea’s Yeonji Lee, 5–0, in the women’s 63kg final at the Sanya Bay Yuhai Club.

The US-based Filipina capped a stellar campaign in her first multi-sport appearance for the country, showcasing her dominance from start to finish. Enriquez opened her campaign with back-to-back submission victories over opponents from China and Thailand, before securing a finals berth with a semifinal win via advantage against Shamma Alkalbani.

She expressed immense pride in delivering the country’s first gold medal in the Games’ return after a decade-long hiatus. “I feel so much pride and joy. First of all, all glory to God. I was born in the Philippines—we immigrated to the States when I was very young, six years old. To be able to come back and experience it as an adult, and to be part of something much larger than I am, is such a great honor,” said Enriquez.

Earlier in the day, Kaila Napolis put the Philippines on the medal board by securing bronze after edging Kazakhstan’s Zhibek Kulumbetova in overtime. Napolis’ victory came in dramatic fashion, as the match went into sudden death after a scoreless regulation. The Filipina seized the advantage in the extra period to repeat her podium finish from the 2016 edition. “Sobrang nakakakaba. Kasi bawal magkamali. With overtime, the first to have an advantage na ’yung mananalo. So, super tight talaga ng laban,” Napolis said.

Meanwhile, Andrea Lois Lao fell short of adding another medal, bowing to Thailand’s Orapa Senatham, 3–0, in the bronze medal match. Other Filipino bets Myron Mangubat, Maria Ysabel Laureta, and Santino Luis Luzuriaga exited early after first-round eliminations.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com