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SEA Games: Ex ‘Voice Teens’ contestant wins modern pentathlon gold

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Dennis Principe

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/12/06/20191206-comaling-arbilon.jpg"/><figcaption>Michael Ver Anton Comaling (left) and Princess Honey Arbilon added to the Philippines&#x27; medal haul in these SEA Games. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Philippine national modern pentathlon team added another gold medal, this time in beach triathle held Friday morning at the Subic Boardwalk in Subic. Michael Ver Anton Comaling made up for a disappointing SEA Games debut earlier this week by capturing the title.Beach triathlete requires competitors to target a shaded circle using a laser pistol from 10 meters, then swim 50 meters in open water before running an 800-meter sand course, with the sequence repeated four times. Comaling, who finished seventh in Wednesday’s beach laser run, outhustled and outgunned Phurit Yohuang of Thailand in a rematch of their Thailand Open face-off last year. “Favorite ko talaga ’yung kahapon kaya hindi ako nakatulog last night. It helped me a lot na andu’n ’yung father ko to tell me na just keep my focus,” said Comaling. “Nakalaban ko na din siya before kaya mas masaya ako kasi natalo ko siya dito pa sa SEA Games.” A former contestant of ABS-CBN’s “The Voice Teens Philippines”, Comaling timed 17 minutes and 8.87 seconds while Yohuang came in at 17 minutes and 19.83 seconds. Comaling was assessed a 10-second added violation after he failed to place one of his shoes properly inside the tray before his second swim, but he managed to win anyway. “I just kept my composure despite naunahan ako after the first loop. Kaya nu’ng huli I gave my all kasi I really wanted to win the gold badly kaya after the finish bumagsak na talaga ako but it was worth it,” said Comaling. Indonesia’s Muhammad Taufik settled for the bronze (17 minutes and 37.76 seconds). In the women’s event, Princess Honey Arbilon bagged her second medal after her time of 21 minutes and 29.36 seconds was good for bronze.Salsabila Putri Dea (19:52.73) of Indonesia and Sanruthai Aransiri of Thailand (20:50.97) won gold and silver, respectively. It was actually a 1-2 finish for Indonesia, but organizers ruled that only one athlete per country can claim a medal. Each country is allowed to field two competitors in every singles event. Arbilon, who won a gold after teaming up with Samuel German in the beach laser mixed relay event Wednesday, returns to action Saturday as she teams up with Comaling in the beach triathle mixed relay, the final event of Modern Pentathlon.<div>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.</div>

Michael Ver Anton Comaling and Princess Honey Arbilon added to the Philippines' medal haul in these SEA Games.

Michael Ver Anton Comaling and Princess Honey Arbilon added to the Philippines' medal haul in these SEA Games.