Leonard Grospe secures Philippines' second gold in dramatic beach high jump
SANYA, China - Leonard Grospe captured the Philippines' second gold medal in the 6th Asian Beach Games after ruling the men's high jump competition on a cold and rainy Friday morning at the Phoenix Island here.
The 24-year-old standout cleared 2.05 meters on his first attempt, a decisive jump that secured him the top podium finish in a tightly contested field.
Grospe beat Chinese Taipei's Po-Ting Yeh and Hao Zhang of China, who settled for the silver and bronze, respectively, after falling short of matching the winning mark.
Grospe added another golden highlight to Team Philippines' campaign, reinforcing the country's strong showing in the continental showpiece, making its comeback after a decade.
"Sobrang happy. Unexpected din po kasi sobrang dulas po talaga (I'm very happy. It was unexpected because it was really slippery)," said Grospe, describing the situation on the sands.
"It's my first time. First time din ang event na high jump sa beach. So, nag-a-adjust pa tayo for that kasi masyadong madulas (It's my first time. It's also the first time the high jump event is being held on the beach. We're still adjusting because it's too slippery)," he added.
