AFTER a flawless 3-0 victory, the Philippine mixed doubles curling team suffered their first setback in the ongoing 9th Asian Winter Games on Wednesday evening at the Pingfang Curling Arena.
The Philippines’ unranked pair of Fil-Swiss Marc Pfister and Fil-Am Kathleen Dubberstein continued their Cinderella run by defeating Qatar’s Mabarka Al-Abdulla and Nasser Abdulrah Alyafei 11-3 yesterday afternoon.
However, the national team lost their first loss, 6-9, against hosts China yesterday night, soon after extending their undefeated streak by defeating Qatar. Nonetheless, they are more than prepared to bounce back.
The Bigger Goal
Pfister and Dubberstein are currently on their road to the quarterfinals, having defeated No. 13 South Korea, No. 45 Kyrgyzstan, and Qatar in their previous games. Allowing them to maintain a perfect 3-1 record.
The 30-year-old Dubberstein, who graduated from Wisconsin, is likewise certain of reaching the podium, since the top three nations in each of the two brackets advance to the next round.
“We just kept the same attitude heading to the next games. Our goal is to win all our round-robin games. Qatar is also a developing nation in curling just like us. Our game with them was a good experience.” said Dubberstein.
Appreciating Greatness
Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Secretary-General Wharton Chan are delighted with the results and remain optimistic about a medal.
“Very impressive and their confidence is growing. To win a medal, they have to stay that way,” Tolentino said.
Meanwhile, Tolentino announced that speed skater Peter Groseclose and curling’s Kathleen Dubberstein will be the flag-bearers in the opening ceremony on Friday at the Harbin International Convention Exhibition and Sports Center.
“Peter already represented us in several overseas competitions, especially in last year’s Winter Youth Olympic Games, while Kathleen is the other best available athlete as flag-bearer,” Tolentino said.
Laban, Pilipinas!
Team Philippines has sent 20 athletes to the Games, where they will compete for medals alongside 33 other Asian nations, for a total of 1,275 individuals in 11 sports and 64 events.
The other Filipino participants for the Asian Winter Games, led by PH Chef de Mission Ricky Lim, are figure skaters Paolo Borromeo, Cathryn Limketkai, Sofia Frank, and Isabella Gamez-Alexander Korovin.
The men’s curling team consists of Benjo Delarmente, Alan Frei, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister, and Marc Pfister, while the women’s team includes Anne Bonache, Kathleen Dubberstein, Leilani Dubberstein, Sheila Mariano, and Jessica Pfister.
Today, the Philippines’ mixed doubles team will try to avenge their close loss against China, when they face No. 33 Kazakhstan at 6:00 p.m., keeping in mind the goal of winning a medal for the country.
