Philippine Athletics team aim for Olympic glory following successful SEA Games run

Photos by Ramon Tan Mangila of Pix Republik

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The magic number to beat was 13.

That’s the number of total medals won by Philippines Athletics in the 2013 edition of the SEA Games. And there were high hopes that they could surpass that record.

“The name of the game is total medals. It’s how many times our athletes reach the podium,” said Philip Ella Juico, president of Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA). “Each time we win a medal, it is a shining tribute to our country and we see our flag raised in victory and pride.”

Veloci Time and L Timestudio, the official watch sponsors of the Philippine Athletics team, supported the team at the games and saw the tremendous efforts the Filipino athletes put into the games.

“Intense speed, breathtaking jumps and powerful throws were unleashed with the hope of attaining glory for our country. There were victorious moments and there were unsuccessful attempts. But the remarkable effort of each athlete as they fought for a triumphant finish is what really matters,” Veloci Time and L Timestudio said in a statement.

Powered by a blend of Filipino Heritage athletes and homegrown talents, the athletics team brought home a total of 20 medals, a stunning 62 percent improvement in a mere two years. Led by double gold medalist and double games record setter Eric Shawn Cray (100-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles) and last day of competition heroics of Christopher Ulboc in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, the Philippines Athletics team highlighted a number of outstanding performances by young up-and-comers who stand poised to represent the country in upcoming international competitions, such as the Olympics and World Championships.

“Eric Cray is already qualified for the Olympics in Rio, and is ranked top 10 in the world in the 400m hurdles,” said Juico. “This is a huge achievement to have a bona-fide qualifier from the Philippines. We are targeting to have perhaps 2-3 more before the 2016 Olympic Games open in Rio.”

If PATAFA achieves this, it will be a complete turnaround from past years where the country’s representatives in track and field were mainly exempt (non-qualified) athletes. Possible bets to make the cut before Rio 2016 and join Cray are young pole vaulter EJ Obiena, who continues to smash the national record on a monthly basis; and, two-time Olympian Marestella Torres in long jump.

A huge highlight of these games was the double gold medal victory in the 100 meters, won by Cray and Kayla Richardson, hence anointing Philippines as “The speed capital of Southeast Asia.”

“It was a shocking performance and we overtook traditional sprinting powers Vietnam and Thailand,” Juico stated. “Never in the history of the SEA Games have we taken the sprint crown in both men’s and women’s 100 meters.”

In these 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, the Athletics team didn’t go without heartbreak, with several prior champions failing to again attain the gold medal. Most notable among these athletes was Jason Ramil Cid in decathlon, Archand Bagsit in 400 meters, and Marestella Torres in long jump.

“Whilst some may be focused solely on gold medals, we are not. A podium finish is what matters. This is sports. Sometimes there is an injury. Sometimes a fraction of a second means the difference between gold and silver,” Juico said. “We must be wise and celebrate the achievement and not nitpick. In three races we had photo finishes and we got the silver in all three. Give us another tenth of a second we would have three more gold medals.”

Juico continues, “We should be applauding Marestella Torres. She is 34 years old. She had a baby who is now only one years old. She came all the way back, qualified and medaled in her event, and was only beaten by two world class jumps by the Vietnamese and Indonesian, both breaking their national records. It required national record jumps, a perfect day, to beat her. Marestella is a tribute to mothers everywhere who combine motherhood with excellence in other facets of life. She is a hero for getting onto that podium.”

We hear from the athletes themselves and how the experience was for them:

Eric Shawn Cray
Gold medalist –100m
Gold medalist – 400m hurdles
“28th SEA Games is the highlight of my season so far. Winning my first 100m title ever at any level of competition will be a feeling I will never forget. Then being able to break a 20-year-old record in the 400m hurdles was a goal I set at the beginning of the season and seeing my hard work pay off is the greatest feeling of all.”

Christopher Ulboc
Gold medalist – 3,000m steeplechase
“Inspirasyon ko ang aking anak, kung paano niya ako makikita as an athlete and as a father. Nang daigin ko ang lahat ng hamon sa Singapore, napawi lahat ng aking hinagpis. Lahat ng pinaghirapan ko ay nag-pay-off. Sana ay maalala ako ng Pilipino ng ganito, kung sino si Ulboc.”

Caleb Stuart
Gold medalist – Hammer throw
“My first SEA Games for the Philippines was a wonderful experience, and one that I will never forget. I’m very blessed to have had such a great experience with such great teammates, and I’m looking forward to many more to come.”

Kayla Richardson
Gold medalist – 100m
“This was my first SEA Games experience and it was definitely an amazing one. Being 17 years old, I really just wanted to have fun going into this competition and not put too much pressure on myself. But being able to bring pride to the Philippines and medal in two of three events was a true blessing. This experience will be a hard one to beat.”

Ernest John “EJ” Obiena
Silver medalist – Pole vault
“It’s an honor to represent the country in an international competition. All the time and effort that you gave pays off when you know you did your best in the competition. The bonus is to get a medal for our country.”

Patrick Unso
Silver medalist – 110m hurdles
“‘Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.’ It’s the coaches, other athletes, sponsors, friends, family, and the all-out support that made this such a great experience. I’m honored to have represented our country. ”

Marestella Torres-Sunang
Silver medalist – Long jump
“28th SEA Games is the best highlight after becoming a mother! I was so nervous and excited over how to beat all the young competitors. Despite of what I’ve been through as a mother, I was able to get a medal. I can fully say that ‘Age doesn’t matter.’ It’s all about how you handle things and learning to put all things in perspective.”

Mary Joy Tabal
Silver medalist – Marathon
“I’ve always dreamt of becoming one of the many athletes who have brought great pride to our nation. My first SEA Games experience was definitely the biggest challenge for me. I’m so happy and proud of being able to bring a silver medal home to make our country proud.”

Mervin Guarte
Silver medalist – 800m
Silver medalist – 1500m
“My third SEA Games was a very big challenge for me because I knew everyone was very aggressive and dreaming to get a gold medal in different events. But I was ready for any challenge because I knew I trained enough. I was very excited to show the people what kind of training I did and that I gave my best for this event.”

Ryan Bigyan
Silver medalist – 4×400 relay
“It was a proud moment to be able to take the Philippine flag to compete with other countries. It makes me proud to be a Filipino.”

Edgardo Alejan, Jr.
Silver medalist – 4×400 relay
“Sipag, disiplina, determinasyon, tiwala sa sarili, lalong lalo na sa Diyos ang pinuhan ko para manalo sa SEA Games. Win or lose masaya ako sa naging resulta dahil binigay ko ang 100 percent ko sa laro. Hindi madali ang manalo ng medalya, pinaghihirapan po yan sa training pa lang.”

Jesson Ramil Cid
Silver medalist – Decathlon
“Tiwala lang kay God at dasal ng nagpapasalamat sa talento na binigay sa akin. Masayang masaya ako dahil nagbibigay ako ng karangalan sa bansa natin at sa madaming taong sumosuporta sa akin.”

Narcisa Atienza
Bronze medalist – Heptathlon
“From the opening to the closing ceremony of the SEA Games, us athletes demonstrated how elite preparation gives rise to elite performance.”

Jessica Barnard
Bronze medalist – 3,000m steeplechase
“The 28th SEA Games was an incredible experience. There were a few times where I had to stop and take it all in. As a Fil-American athlete, I’m so proud to be able to represent the Philippines. I hope that my bronze medal brought pride to our beautiful country. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. Excited to get back to work and go for gold at the 29th SEA Games.”

Donnovant Arriola, Jr.
Bronze medalist – Long jump
“Competing at the 28th SEA Games was an amazing experience. When I was younger, I didn’t think I would compete at such a level. Walking through the Singapore National Stadium representing not only the Philippines, but my mom, family, teammates, and everyone who’s had to work hard to get somewhere, it was a feeling like no other. Just pure joy. Moments like these are living testaments that dreams can come true.”

Riezel Buenaventura
Bronze medalist – Pole vault
“I’m very thankful to be given the chance to participate in the 28th SEA Games for the third time. It was my first to be part of the opening parade though, I was so excited and felt goosebumps upon entering the stadium. When they announced our country’s pride and delegates, the feeling was overwhelming. We just wanted to make our country proud.”

Arniel Ferrera
Hammer throw
(Former 4x gold medalist & SEA Games record holder)
“After serving the country with four gold medals and game records, the 28th SEA Games was still one of the best in my career and the most challenging. ‘Di man ako nakauwi ng medalya sa kaunaunahang pagkakataon sa buong SEA Games journey ko, ito po ay nasuklian pa din naman ng gintong medalya at bagong game record para sa bansa sa pamamagitan ni Caleb Stuart.”

Katherine Kay Santos
Long jump
4x100m relay
“To be once again part of my country’s delegation is really awesome and at same time an experience worth cherishing for a lifetime. It was exhilarating to be counted among those who are willing to give their best to be their best.”

In the end, the facts are the facts. A 62 percent medal improvement is a major step in making athletics one of the bright spots of the Philippines performance. If all NSAs had achieved a similar result, the country would have won a total of 155 medals and finished a few notches higher. In the end, Philippines attained only 125 medals.

But these challenges are just the beginning. As these athletes aim for bigger victories on bigger stages, they have the support of the entire nation behind them.

This article first appeared in the July 2015 issue of 2nd Opinion.