SISI Rondina and Bernadeth Pons won a historic gold medal in women’s beach volleyball at the Thailand Southeast Asian Games last year.
This time, the prolific tandem of Alas Pilipinas will aim to give the country its first ever beach volleyball gold medal in the Asian Games.
Rondina and Pons will make their Asian Games debut in Japan this year, eyeing to add another hardware to their partnership.
“I am very excited for the Asian Games. We both have a lot learning and experience together, and this is our first Asian Games together,” Rondina said.
“We will just enjoy, and we should always be consistent. Training and our fighter side, we will show it,” she added.
The “SiPons” tandem also copped a silver medal in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Pro Tour Futures last August.
While both of them are veterans in the international beach volleyball circuit, the high-flying Rondina said that the Asian Games is a different stage.
“Of course ... This time the feeling is different, since this is the Asian Games, there are new opponents, and for me ... I am really looking forward to showing more, and we are healthy in the games,” she said.
Pons shared the same sentiments as Rondina with regard to the Asian Games.
“Of course, this is a huge opportunity for us — me and Sisi — because this is our first time playing in the Asian Games. We’re really looking forward to the Asian Games. We’ll truly give it our all. Everything we’ve learned and everything we’ve trained for, we will show it,” Pons said.
Rondina is a four-time UAAP beach volleyball champion for the University of Santo Tomas while Pons is a three-time silver medalist with the Far Eastern University.
Aside from the Rondina-Pons duo, the Philippines will also be represented by rising stars Sofiah Pagara and Khylem Progella in the Asian Games.
The beach volleyball competition runs from Sept. 20 to Oct. 1.
