Martes, Hulyo 31, 2012

London Olympics: Barriga reaches final 16, keeps PHL medal hopes alive

Olympic boxer Mark Barriga gives Pinoys reason to cheer 






The Philippines' lone boxing Olympic bet Mark Anthony Barriga gave Filipinos reason to cheer when he defeated Italian Manuel Cappai Tuesday in the light flyweight category, keeping the country's medal hopes alive.

The Olympics have otherwise been a  series of disappointments so far for the medal-starved nation, as Pinay weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, skeet shooter Brian Rosario, and archer rachel Cabral have all been eliminated. 
During the fight, the 19-year-old Barriga used a strong first round to beat Cappai, 17-7, to advance to the final 16 of the Men’s Light Fly 49 kgs.
On August 3, Barriga will face Kazakhstan’s Birzhan Zhakypov, who won a close bout against Jeremy Baccu of France with a nail-biting score of 18-17.

Barriga has a chance to end the country's medal drought that has lasted 16 years. Boxer Onyok Velasco, also a light flyweight, won a silver at the Atlanta Games in 1996. 
Against going pro
Meanwhile, Barriga’s family in Panabo City in Davao del Norte was overjoyed.

However, they are not in favor of Barriga going pro and would like him to finish his studies first, a report of radio dzBB's Davao affiliate said.
The report said Barriga had to stop studies at the University of Mindanao to train for the London Olympic games.
In an interview over radio dzBB, one of Barriga's siblings said they were thankful for the prayers and support of the Filipino people for the Olympic team.
Barriga is the second of three children. His family said he already showed potential in boxing even when he was in elementary school. 


Walang komento:

Mag-post ng isang Komento