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Lester Pimentel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 studied 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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