It’s going to be a battle to show the best the country and the region has to offer as the 2016 Ayala Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championships kicks off on April 7 to 9. The annual athletics meet will be bringing in over 1,000 athletes from the country and the region to the PhilSports Arena (formerly ULTRA) for the three-day event.
Open to the public, this Athletics National Open is meant to bring the sport closer to the fans, sponsors, and other Filipinos who aren’t aware of our country’s athletes and their capabilities in the track and field arena. Of course, if a record or two or more are broken during the event, then that’s for the better as well.
This year’s meet marks the start of a long-term partnership between Ayala Corporation and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA). It’s also co-presented by Milo Nutri-up and the Philippine Sports Commission with sponsorship from PCSO and the private sector including Asics Watch, L TimeStudio, Foton Philippines, and Summit Natural Drinking Water.
Dubbed as a “unique” athletics meet, the competition starts off at daybreak on April 7th and will culminate on April 9th by 5 p.m. Keeping to international conventional practice and making sure the competitors and technical officials are given a respite from the scorching hot summer, competitions will begin at 6 a.m. and take a six-hour mid-day break around 10 or 11 with the competition continuing at 4 p.m. and ending at 8 p.m.
This Athletics National Open is also considered tightly contested as the impending July 11th deadline for the Olympic qualifiers draws even closer. The country will be fielding entries not just from the national team but also from the national training pool as well as collegiate leagues such as the UAAP, NCAA, and SCUAA. Top athletes from countries like South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Guam, Mongolia, and Brunei will also be competing at this year’s open and giving our country’s best a chance to show off their capabilities.
Two of the athletes to look forward to at the said meet are Christopher Ulboc and Caleb Stuart. Ulboc and Stuart were present at the press launch of the 2016 Ayala Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championships to share a bit about where they are now heading into this meet and the upcoming Olympics. Both are looking to tune up and get better not just for this particular meet but for their upcoming events as well.
Ulboc, the SEA Games 3,000m Steeplechase champion, hopes to at least meet or better his time since the last Singapore Open, which is at 8 minutes and 56 seconds. He’s 26 seconds off the Olympics qualifying time of 8 minutes and 30 seconds.
Stuart, the SEA Games Hammer Throw record holder, hopes to beat his 68.66m best and work towards the 77m qualifying distance required for the Olympics. Stuart said he has been working on his technique to reach this goal.
Other big names from the local track and field scene to watch for at this meet include Ernest John Obiena, who has recently made it into the top 100 pole vaulters in the global ranking; veteran Marestella Torres, who holds the RP and SEA Games records for Long Jump at 6.71m; Eric Cray, Rio Olympics qualifier who currently ranks 38th in the world; Donovant Arriola, bronze medalist in Long Jump in the Singapore SEA Games; and Brandon Thomas, a qualifier for the 7th Asian Indoor Championship in Doha, Qatar.
