The Philippine men’s curling team has secured a semifinal spot at the 9th Asian Winter Games after a dominant 10-4 victory against Japan.
Filipino-Swiss curlers Marc and Enrico Pfister, Christian Haller, Alan Beat Frei, and Benjo Delarmente outplayed Japanese curlers Ryo Aoki, Haruki Watanabe, Ayumu Hemmi, and Rin Kyotoh in the quarterfinals.
With this win, the Philippines is set to face host country China in the semifinals.
Team member Alan Frei expressed their determination to win a medal, which would mark a historic achievement for Philippine curling.
Meanwhile, the Philippine women’s curling team is also fighting for a spot in the semifinals. Despite a 5-9 loss to China, they now face a must-win match against World No. 3 South Korea. The squad, composed of Kathleen Dubberstein, Leilani Sumbillo An, Anne Bonache, and Sheila Mariano, previously suffered a loss to Kazakhstan.
In other events, Laetaz Amihan Rabe placed sixth in both the women’s freeski big air and slopestyle events.
Filipino figure skaters Cathryn Limketkai and Sofia Lexi Jacqueline Frank finished ninth and tenth, respectively, in the women’s single skating short program.
