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Lester Pimentel

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In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Pimentel and the surname or paternal family name is Ong.

Lester Pimentel
Other namesLester Pimentel Ong
Known forWushu athlete, founder of Rice in a Box
Sports career
National teamPhilippines
SportWushu
Event(s)Changquan, Jianshu, Gunshu
Medal record
Men's Wushu Taolu
Representing  Philippines
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1995 Baltimore Jianshu
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 1996 Manila Jianshu
SEA Games
Gold medal – first place 2005 Manila Duilian
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Manila Changquan
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Manila Gunshu

Lester Pimentel Ong is a Filipino businessman, filmmaker, stuntman, and retired competitive wushu taolu athlete.

Education

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Pimentel attended high school at Philippine Cultural High School Annex (now Philippine Cultural College) where he first excelled in sports.

Pimentel studied college at the De La Salle University in Manila where he obtained a degree in philosophy.[1]

Wushu career

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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]

Business career

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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]

Film and television

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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]

Personal life

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Pimentel is a third-generation Chinese.[9] He is married to Rosette,[1] and has five sons.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b Bautista, Mario (October 28, 2022). "A well-rounded director, producer and businessman". Journalnews. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "SEA Games Medalists Since 1991". Philippine Olympic Committee. September 1, 2004. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "1995 World Wushu Championships Results" (PDF). International Wushu Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "china, philippines lead in asian wushu championships". Xinhua News Agency. Manila. November 14, 1996. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Limos, Mario Alvaro (August 31, 2023). "This martial artist built an empire when the world's economy collapsed". GMA New Media. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Wushu Results - Male Duilian". 2005seagames.com. November 29, 2005. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  7. ^ "Pimentel wins gold in world wushu tilt". The Philippine Star. October 21, 2006. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Ong, Henry (August 29, 2023). "Financial Adviser: 5 Business Lessons Everyone Can Learn from 'Chao Fan King' Lester Pimentel Ong, Founder and CEO of Binondo Food Group". Esquire Philippines.
  9. ^ a b Gomez, Chuck (October 14, 2018). "From Wushu to WangFu". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Tomada, Nathalie (March 4, 2023). "Direk Lester Ong upbeat about more int'l opportunities for Philippines-made action content". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Cruz, Marinel (February 6, 2023). "2 things actors need to do to become credible action stars". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Requintina, Robert (August 15, 2023). "'The Iron Heart' director Lester Pimentel Ong: Time for award-giving bodies to honor stunt work". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  13. ^ "Bagani director, wushu champ battles fears in food business". Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 3, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
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