Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 28) — Wushu sanda fighter Arnel Mandal won the country’s first silver medal in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Host player Jiang Haidong clinched the gold medal after defeating Mandal in the finals of wushu men’s sanda 56-kilogram category on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyztan’s Avazbek Amanbekov and Vietnam’s Hua Van Doan both tied for bronze in that division.
Two other wushu sanda athletes carted away two more bronze medals for the Philippines on Wednesday.
Gideon Padua settled for third place after the Wushu Federation – Philippines decided to forfeit his match against Iran’s Shoja Panahigelehkolaei in the men’s 65 kg “to minimize the risk of further injury.”
Padua injured his nose during his Sept. 26 quarterfinals match against Turkmenistan’s Agajumageldi Yazymov.
Clemente Tabugara Jr., on the other hand, failed to advance in the finals after he bowed to Indonesia’s Samuel Marbun in the men’s 65 kg division.
