Breanna Labadan sustained her impressive form to advance to the finals of individual all-around and ball events on the second day of the 14th Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The 16-year-old Labadan padded the 56.7 points she gained in the first day with another 24.45 points in clubs and 28.65 points in ribbons for a score of 107.9 points to make it to the sixth place of the individual all-around.
Only the top 18 will be picked for the final round, which starts at 10 a.m. on Friday, with the top 10 finishers earning tickets to the 40th Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Valencia, Spain from 23 to 27 August.
Should she get lucky, it will be Labadan’s second trip to the world stage after seeing action in the previous edition in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Labadan, the pride of Butuan City who is now training in Hungary, will also see action in the ball final event tomorrow after scoring 28.2 points for an eighth-place finish.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines Cynthia Carrion encourages the Filipinos to watch Labadan perform and shoot a spot in the World Championship.
“We would like Breanna for her splendid performance and we are all praying that she really does excel in the finals tomorrow (Friday) of both of her events to make our country even more proud of her,” said Carrion, who organized the event with the support of the Philippine Sports Commission.
“If we can fill the Ninoy Aquino Stadium tomorrow when Labadan competes, I believe she will be more encouraged to perform better.”
Another Filipino bet in Daniela Dela Pisa, meanwhile, did not make the cut after posting 65.75 points for 27th place
