ANGEL Canino and Mhicaela “Bella” Belen saw Alas Pilipinas Women’s ninth-place finish in the 20th Asian Games as an important learning experience despite falling short of their goal of reaching the medal rounds.
The Filipinas closed their campaign on a positive note, sweeping Hong Kong, China, 25-21, 25-9, 30-28, Tuesday at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium to complete a three-game winning run in the classification round.
The victory followed straight-set wins over Qatar, 25-8, 25-2, 25-9, and Mongolia, 25-13, 25-11, 25-20, allowing the Philippines to finish ninth.
For Canino, competing in her first Asian Games made the experience meaningful even though Alas failed to achieve its original medal objective.
“Actually, happy kami. Although hindi ‘yun yung gusto naming overall goal sa Asian Games, happy kami sa lahat ng wins namin, iyung mga nagawa namin as a team and, of course, iyung learning experience,” Canino said.
The young outside hitter also valued the opportunity to play alongside national team veterans whom she had previously admired.
“Grabeng achievement siguro individually, such an amazing experience na kasama ko my ates, na kasama ako sa Philippine national team. Kasi iyung iba diyan, ini-idolize ko din,” she said.
Belen, meanwhile, pointed to the level of competition in the Asian Games as one of the biggest takeaways for the younger members of the squad.
“Iba. Iba talaga iyung laruan. Ang dami naming napulot, lalo na sa aming mga bata,” Belen said. “Alam namin na meron pang dapat itaas, itaas pa namin iyung level of playing namin.”
The Filipinas were eliminated from quarterfinal contention after losing to China, 25-18, 25-22, 25-8, and Kazakhstan, 29-27, 24-26, 25-23, 25-19, in the group stage.
Despite the early setback, Belen said the experience against the continent’s stronger teams provided the squad with an opportunity to improve.
“Actually, I think we have improvements, we have a lot to gain, experience. We became better team,” she said.
Canino is already looking beyond the Nagoya campaign, with her sights set on helping the Philippines make a deeper Asian Games run in the coming years.
Belen also hopes to return to the continental competition with a more experienced Alas Pilipinas squad.
While the ninth-place finish did not match the team’s initial aspirations, the three straight victories to end the tournament gave the Filipinas a chance to finish their campaign with confidence and lessons they can carry into future competitions. (By the Staff)
