Wushu Fighter Catalan: 4th Doha Asiad Gold Medallist

DOHA, Qatar - Four-time world champion Rene
Catalan handed the Philippines its fourth gold medal Thursday on the
penultimate day of the 15th Asian Games.

Catalan, a 27-year-old former boxer from Iloilo, connected with two
left straight smack on the face of the game Vietnamese Phan Quoc Vinh
and sent him into the canvas twice to dominate the first round.

Phan
made a gallant effort in the second, but Catalan was too crafty and
experienced for the taller Vietnamese who again kissed the mat.

The Filipino won each round by 5-0 scores.

"Medyo nahirapan din ako sa kanya," said Catalan, in a radio interview. "Siya kasi yung pinakamalakas sa mga nakalaban ko."

Catalan, undefeated since 2003, was heavily favoured to win the
52-kilogram bout and he did not disappoint a wildly-cheering crowd that
included the country's top sports officials.

"Our participation here was very meaningful," Wushu Federation of the Philippines president Julian Camacho lamented.

Another wushu fighter, Eduard Folayang, fell to Xu Yanfei of China in the -70 kilogram final and settled for the silver.

"Binago ko yung strategy ko sa kanya," noted Folayang about his match. "Siguro hindi para sa akin ang laban na ito."

In the men's nanquan earlier , Pedro Quina and Willy Wang finished seventh and ninth with 9.66 and 9.62 points, respectively.

China, as expected, won the event through Wu Caibao who garnered 9.85 points.

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The gold improved the Philippines medal tally to four golds, six
silvers and nine bronzes which will go down as the best ever showing
since 1978 when it won four golds, four silvers and six bronzes.

In the history of its Asian Games participation, this year's haul so far is ranked fifth best.

The Filipinos made their best showing at home in 1954 when they harvested 14 golds, 14 silvers and 17 bronzes.

SOURCE: RPSports.com