Lester Pimentel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other names | Lester Pimentel Ong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Known for | Wushu athlete, founder of Rice in a Box | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wushu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Changquan, Jianshu, Gunshu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lester Pimentel Ong is a Filipino businessman, filmmaker, stuntman, and retired competitive wushu taolu athlete.
Pimentel studied at the De La Salle University in Manila where he obtained a degree in philosophy. [1]
Pimentel made his international debut at the 1991 SEA Games where he won bronze medals in changquan and gunshu. [2] Years later, he became the world champion in jianshu at the 1995 World Wushu Championships. [3] The following year he also became the Asian champion in jianshu at the 1996 Asian Wushu Championships. [4] He decided to take a break from practicing wushu and focus on school graduation. [5]
Several years later, Pimentel returned to wushu competition for the 2005 SEA Games where he won the gold medal in duilian. [6] He also took part at the 2006 World Traditional Wushu Championships in Zhengzhou winning another gold. [7]
After graduating school in 1997, Pimentel decided to work as a stockbroker before going broke due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. [5] In 1999, he founded Rice in a Box, a fast-food place which serves fried rice with toppings. [5] The first location was in Pasay and has grown to over 100 franchises across the Philippines, thus Ong's company grew to become the Binondo Food Group. [5] [8] He is also the founder of the Singaporean-Cantonese restaurant Wang Fu. [9]
Sometime around 1999, Pimentel banking on his knowledge in wushu became a stuntman. His first project was the 2000 film Ex-Con which was directed by Toto Natividad and starred Victor Neri. As a fight director he was involved in Panday , Lastikman, Imortal and Indio. [10]
He was involved in La Luna Sangre and Bagani . He is the director of the Amazon Prime Video original Filipino series One Good Day [10]
He formed Studio 360, a production company from Action 360 a troupe of stuntmen form during Pimentel's work with La Luna Sangre. Action 360 became a subdivision under Studio 360. [11]
In 2022, Pimentel directed The Iron Heart which became known for its stunts work. [12]
Pimentel is a third-generation Chinese. [9] He is married to Rosette [1] , and has five sons. [13]
Binondo is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the Spaniards as a settlement near Intramuros but across the Pasig River for Catholic Chinese; it was positioned so that the colonial administration could keep a close eye on their migrant subjects. It was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spanish colonial period. Binondo is the center of commerce and trade of Manila, where all types of business run by Chinese Filipinos thrive.
Román Ongpin y Tanbensiang was a Chinese Filipino businessman and philanthropist who aided Filipino revolutionaries against the Spanish and American colonial administration in the Philippine islands.
Dương Thúy Vi is a wushu taolu athlete from Vietnam. She is one of the most renowned wushu athletes of all time, having won numerous medals at the World Wushu Championships, Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games, and the Asian Wushu Championships.
Zahra Kiani is a wushu taolu athlete from Iran. She is a four-time world junior champion and a silver medalist at the Asian Games.
Bagani (transl. warrior) is a 2018 Philippine television drama fantasy series broadcast by ABS-CBN. Directed by Richard I. Arellano, Lester S. Pimentel and Raz de la Torre, it stars Enrique Gil, Liza Soberano, Matteo Guidicelli, Makisig Morales, and Zaijian Jaranilla. It aired on the network's Primetime Bida line up and worldwide on TFC from March 5 to August 17, 2018, replacing La Luna Sangre and was replaced by Ngayon at Kailanman.
Li Yi is a professional wushu taolu athlete from Macau. She has achieved gold medals in the World Wushu Championships, Taolu World Cup, Asian Games, and the Asian Wushu Championships.
Fruitas Holdings, Inc. is a food company in the Philippines which maintains several food and beverage kiosk chains including its flagship brand, Fruitas. It is publicly listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange.
Willy Reyes Wang is a former wushu taolu athlete from the Philippines. He is one of the most decorated Filipino wushu athletes of all time in international competition and became especially renowned after his gold medal victory at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament.
Wong Weng Son, also known as Vincent Wong is a wushu taolu athlete from Malaysia. He is one of Malaysia's most renowned wushu athletes of all time and is a two-time world champion.
Lee Ha-sung is a wushu taolu athlete from South Korea. He was a world champion in 2015 and gold medalist at the Asian Games in 2014.
Han Jing is a retired professional wushu taolu athlete who represented Macau.
Ng Siu Ching is a former wushu taolu athlete from Hong Kong. She achieved an extensive medal record in international competition, becoming the first taolu athlete to win five gold medals at the World Wushu Championships. Ng also had multiple victories in the Asian Games and the East Asian Games.
Cho Seung-jae is a wushu taolu athlete from South Korea.
Seo Hee-ju is a retired wushu taolu athlete from South Korea. She was a two-time world champion and medalist at the World Games and the Asian Games.
Jowen Lim Si Wei is a Singaporean wushu taolu athlete.
Wong Weng Ian is a professional wushu taolu athlete from Macau.
Ling Nam is a chain of Chinese restaurants in the Philippines owned by Fruitas Holdings. The first location in Binondo, Manila, was established in 1950, but Robert Fung Kuan turned it into a small franchise when he was CEO from 1976 to 1984. While it was a popular destination in Binondo, Ling Nam declined in the following decades and the Fung family put it up for sale. Fruitas Holdings bought the chain in 2022 and expanded it into 34 locations.
The 2024 Taolu World Cup will be the third edition of the Taolu World Cup. It will be held at the Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, Japan, from October 26 to 27, 2024. Qualification was done through the 2023 World Wushu Championships and the 2024 Wushu International Invitational Tournament.
Samson Co is a retired competitive wushu taolu athlete from the Philippines, and a current coach for the Philippines wushu team.
Jennifer Yeo is a retired competitive wushu taolu athlete from the Philippines.
|
