TAIPEI—Top Filipina netter Marian Jade Capadocia and promising track and field athletes under the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines take the limelight in the 29th Summer Universiade here Wednesday.
Capadocia, who provided the bright spot for Team Philippines with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory over Nepal’s Kripa Sharma on Monday, takes on Mexico’s Victoria Rodriguez at 9:30 a.m. today at the Taipei Tennis Center.
While it was a breezy win for the Arellano City standout, Capadocia gets her first acid test here against Rodriguez, who is the no. 2 seed in the Universiade, considered as the Olympics of student athletes.
The 15-man athletics’ team under coach Joseph Sy kicks off its campaign against the world’s best as track and field competitions get underway at the Taipei Stadium.
Sean Michael Kaufmann and Yuhei Go and Jeremiah Angela Malonso will see action in the qualifying heats in the men’s and women’s 100m starting at 9 a.m.
Kaufmann, the 19-year-old student from University of the Philippines, and Go, the 22-year-old bet from Xavier University-Cagayan de Oro, are also scheduled to compete in the men’s 200m.
Malonso, the 20-year-old trackster from UP, will also try her luck in 200m
The other members of the team are:
Men—Lloyd Prado (5000m), Connor Alexander Henderson (400m hurdles),
Alvin John Vergel (110m hurdles).
Aristeo de la Pena (long jump), Rogil Pablo (long jump, triple jump) and Carlo Caong (discus),
Women—Karen Janario (200m, 100m hurdles), Jingky Obanon (400m), Louielyn Pamatian (800m), Felyn Dolloso (long jump, triple jump) and Ma. Elizabeth Capioso (20km walk).
Not even the sad fate that befell hurdler Jaime Mejia could dampen the morale of the team members now at the newly-built Universiade Athletes’ Village.
Mejia became the first casualty in the team when he was rushed to a Taipei hospital with dengue.
Mejia was scheduled to compete in the 110m and 400m hurdles before he was hospitalized.
FESSAP president David Ong urged the Filipino tracksters to keep their heads up highs during the six-day athletics’ competition.
“As I’ve told our athletes even before our departure to Taipei, they are already winners by having this once-in-a lifetime opportunity to compete in the Universiade,” said Ong.
The Filipinos’ campaign in this prestigious 12-day competition known as the ‘Olympics’ of university athletes is also being supported by San Miguel Corp., Bestank and Garfield Sportswear.
