At the 2009 Arafura Games underway in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, Arolas Amahit Jr. and Ian Mendez today won a gold medal for the Philippines in badminton men’s doubles. Amahit and Mendez easily defeated Fabien Kadour and Marc-Antoine Desaymoz of New Caledonia 21-14 and 21 -12 at the Darwin Convention Centre, venue of the badminton competition, in the gold medal match this evening.

In the men’s singles final played earlier, a nervous Mendez, playing in his first international gold medal match, went down to defeat at the hands of second-seed Io Chong Chan of Malaysia 14-21 and 13-21 and had to settle for the silver medal.

The gold and silver medals today brings the medal count in badminton for the two-man Philippine contingent to three – Amahit had earned a bronze medal yesterday when he won his quarterfinal match against Jacob Modoh of Australia. Amahit later on lost to Mendez in a semifinal contest.

(From information supplied by the 2009 Arafura Games Secretariat)