The Chinese finished No. 1 and 2 as Man Zhong overcame compatriot Lin Cai, 15-9, Friday to rule the men’s saber of the Sharp Asian Fencing Championship at the PhilSports Arena.
The two teammates on China’s junior team had beaten Iranian veterans Mojtaba Abedini, 15-13, and Pelman Fakhridehaghi, 15-10, in the semis to arrange an all-Chinese finals.
The win was the fourth for China following the successful bids of Li Tan, Jun Zhu and Wanwen Su bid in their classes.
Tan ruled the women’s individual epee, Zhu reigned in the men’s individual foil, while Su topped the women’s individual foil.
China fielded their national youth team after having already reached the maximum Olympic slots allotted for every country.
Southeast Asian games double gold medalist Walbert Mendoza, who was the country’s best bet in the saber event, failed to go beyond the round of 16, where Cai trounced him, 15-12.
Edward Daliva, another RP bet, bowed to Trung Dung Bui of Korea in the round of 32.
Save for Wendylyn Mendoza, who reached the round of 32, the RP women’s squad composed of Jinky Naval, Veena Tessa Nuestro and Joana Franquelli absorbed losses early in the direct elimination round.
Mendoza was actually a point away from booking a finals seat in the men’s sabre of the Asia-Ocenia Olympic qualifier last Tuesday.
But he lost to Kazakhstan’s Yevgeniy Frolov in a 14-15 heartbreaker that dashed his Olympic hopes.
