By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The Philippines’ bid for boxing gold ended on a tough note as Leo Mhar Lobrido bowed out in the semifinals of the boys’ 46-kilogram division at the 3rd Asian Youth Games at the Exhibition World Hall 9 in Manama, Bahrain yesterday (Philippine time).

Lobrido, the country’s last hope in boxing, fell to Abdugani Yorkinjonov of Uzbekistan, who used his height and reach advantage to secure a 3-2 win in the opening round before dominating the second frame with precise combinations.

The Uzbek’s relentless attack earned him the judges’ nod, booking a spot in the finals against Kazakhstan’s Arman Myrsabit, who earlier swept Tajikistan’s Damir Nazarov, 5-0.

Lobrido, who hails from Negros Occidental’s Bago City, settled for the bronze medal, marking the Philippines’ best finish in boxing for this year’s games.

Other Filipino pugilists failed to advance to the medal rounds as James Justin Zampatti lost to Uzbekistan’s Diyorbek Murodilloev via referee-stopped contest in the boys’ 75-kilogram quarterfinals, while Shairylle Porres bowed to Fang-yu Chen of Chinese Taipei in the girls’ 46 kilogram quarterfinals.

Jefferson Amaya (50 kg), John Michael Estorba (54 kg) and Ermallie Caballero (50 kg), on the other hand, were eliminated in the preliminary rounds.

Meanwhile, the Philippines found success in weightlifting courtesy of Jhodie Peralta, who delivered two medals in the girls’ 57-kilogram class.

Peralta clinched the silver medal in the snatch after the best lift of 87 kilograms, narrowly missing the gold against North Korea’s Hae Yon Pak, whose 88-kilogram lift set new World and Asian Youth records.

“I was so close, but I will strive to improve next time,” Peralta told Philippine Olympic Committee Media.

In the clean and jerk, Peralta settled for bronze with a 100-kilogram lift, behind Pak, who again set new world and continental marks with 107 kilograms, and Vietnam’s Lien Y, who took silver with a 188-kilogram total./ASC, WDJ