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MALICDEM COMPLETES GRAND SLAM WIN |
Updated June 09, 2017 |
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Noel Malicdem, the “Gentle Giant”, completes a Grand Slam win after bagging the recent 2017 Federation Cup, the 2016 Darter of the Year Award, and topping the Masters Cup in October 2016.
The road to the 2017 Federation Cup championship was a dominating performance by Malicdem. In the first stage of the best of 5 legs elimination round robin, he won all his matches against Alexis Toylo, Boie Parfan, and Val Capuyan. He topped again the 2nd stage of his group round robin by winning all his matches against Lourence Ilagan, Jorge Mediario, and PJ Jugo.
In the top 8, he blanked Vince De Velos 3-0 in the best of 5 sets, best of 5 legs. The on-stage performance against Boy Ulang in the semi-finals produced the same result of a 3-0 set win. This is where Malicdem showed no mercy with an average score of 94.6 and hitting eight (8) 180’s. In the 3rd set of the match with the legs tied at 2 a piece, Malicdem threw 180-60-180 for a 12-darts out to end the match and secured another championship final.
The 2017 Federation Cup Championship saw Noel Malicdem pitted against Ian Perez, his Robson teammate in the last 15 years with the credential as the only Grand Slam winner so far. The Championship was an uphill battle for Malicdem. Ian Perez won the first set with a score of 4-3. The 2nd set was won by Malicdem 4-3. Perez retook the set lead with a 4-1 win and Noel evened the match with a 4-3 win in the 4th set. In the final and deciding set, Malicdem won 4-2.
Statistics best describe the intensity and the ferocity of the finals. After playing 33 legs in the finals, Malicdem’s average score was 92.4 points while Ian Perez averaged a score of 88.6.
The rise of Noel Malicdem to the pinnacle of Philippine darts started slowly but surely. Playing under the shadows of his more illustrious Robson teammates since 2002, he won his first national title in the 2006 Darterong Pinoy. His 2nd national title came 5 years later in the 2011 135K Bicol Dart Challenge in Legaspi City and became a National Master with his 3rd title also in the Bicol Dart Challenge in 2012.
Rising to the challenge of his aging teammates, he fine tuned his play with sustained participation in the Metro East Federation Dart Leagues. His road to stardom started in the 2015 1st Mayor Romualdez Singles finals with a losing championship to Ian Perez. This was followed by a splintering of T8 finishes and a very formidable, consistent, and confidence-building T4 finishes in the 2 Open Singles of the 2nd Mayor Romualdez Open in 2016. A month later, the win in the 100K Palawan Open started his 5 consecutive Open Singles wins including the 2016 Darterong Pinoy, the Masters Cup, and the Philippine Open. The championships earned him the top ranking points performance in 2016 and he was awarded the Darter of the Year.
So far, in 2017 he leads the Darter of the Year ranking with 3 national titles coming from the 100K Gensan Open, the 150K Araw ng Dabao, and the 100K Free-registration Araw ng Makati. The Federation and the Masters Cups do not carry any ranking points.
The best is yet to come for the “Gentle Giant”, as he continues to mature and gain greater confidence. The inspiration Noel Malicdem brings is the persistence, commitment, and dedication to excel for in the end, the hours of practice and perseverance will eventually payoff.
RTSoncuya |
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TUSOK BALITA ONLINE - A Publication of the National Darts Federation of the Philippines