Johann Randall Abrina (left), team mate Robert Racasa and RP Team delegation chief Marlon Bernardino Jr. with ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau's Rose Eclarinal.

PADDINGTON, Central London - Filipino Johann Randall Abrina grabbed a silver medal for the Philippine Team in the just ended 4th UK International Open Memory Championships for winning the speed cards category of the tournament.

Abrina, a member of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)-Mandaluyong-Bagong Henerasyon RP Memory Team, memorized a deck of card in lightning fast 1.20 minutes.

This was good enough for a silver medal and a grand master (GM) norm. Abrina now needs 2 more GM norms to achieve GM of Memory status.

The event took place at the 4th level of MWB Business Exchange, One Kingdom Street in Paddington, Central London.

"Our sacrifices have paid off… I would like to thank our team manager Sir Reli De leon, our team delegation head Marlon Bernardino and of course my team mate and my personal mentor Robert Racasa," said the 28-year-old Abrina, a registered nurse from Mandaluyong City.

Abrina also thanked the people who backed the RP team.

Among their backers were Mandaluyong City mayor Benhur Abalos Jr., PCSO, Bagong Henerasyon Party-List Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, sportsman Hermie Esguerra, Philip Ella Juico, Dr. and Dra. Manny and Regina Canlas, Natrapharm-Patriot Group Inc., Filway Marketings Inc., Terry Capistrano and sports outfitter ACCEL.

He also expressed gratitude to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alberto Romulo, Under Secretary Jaime Ledda, the British Embassy in Manila headed by Stephen Lilie, the media and Filipinos who supported them in London.

Meanwhile, Racasa wowed the spectators when he memorized 3 decks of cards and 768 digit binary numbers in 30 minutes.

This has placed him in the elite company of memory athletes who could display the same mental prowess.

"This proved once again that Filipinos can be at par with the world's best memory athletes. With ample training and preparation we can even become world champions," said Racasa, a former top chess player for the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Even eventual over-all champion British GM Ben Pridmore, now a four-time World Memory champ, was impressed with the Philippine Team.

"Awesome Performance!" said Pridmore.

UK Memory Sports Council president Dominic O'Brien, the legendary 8-time World Memory Champion, said that for a first-timer in such high-level competition, the Philippine Team has gave out a remarkable performance.

The Philippine Team advanced to the World Memory Championships, which takes place in Guangzhou, China in December.

The team is completed by team manager Aurelio "Reli" De Leon while RP and US chess master Almario Marlon Bernardino Jr. stands as its delegate chief and coach.

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)-Mandaluyong-Bagong Henerasyon RP Memory Team is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Tuesday (August 31).