Jakarta—It has been 24 years since a Philippine team bagged an athletics’ medal of any color in the Asian Games.
That was during the 1994 Hiroshima Asiad, courtesy of Elma Muros, whose 6.41-meter leap in the long jump competitions was worth a bronze.
Philippine Athletics’ Track and Field Association president Dr. Philip Ella Juico fervently hopes the drought ends here in Jakarta.
“If everything goes right, like timing, pacing, many of our athletes like even Harry Diones and Janry Ubas, can also spring some surprises,” said Juico, who himself was appointed jury of the Asian Athletics Association in charge of the athletics’ disciplines these games.
Juico will be banking on his Lucky 13 in the athletics competitions which begin today at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Complex here.
The team will be led by Eric Shauwn Cray and pole vaulter EJ Obiena, who are both coming off impressive performances in recent Asian tournaments and therefore have the best chances of giving the Philippine athletics’ team a medal in these games.
Reigning Southeast Asian Games decathlon champion Aries Toledo begins the ball rolling with the 100 meters at 10 a.m. today before his 10:45 a.m. long jump competition and the 12 noon shot put. He winds up his busy decathlon day with the high jump later at 6:50 p.m. and the 400 meters in the night cap at 9:30 p.m.
Ubas, the bronze medalist in the long jump of the 2017 SEA Games and decathlon in the 2015 edition of the biennial meet, tries to qualify in the finals of the long jump at 6:50 p.m.
But what excites Juico is the association’s newest find, Kristina Marie Knott.
“The one thing good about Kristina Knott is, very few in Asia know anything about her. The first time they saw her in action was about a month ago in the Vietnam Open, which was the last tournament we took part in before the Asian Games,” said Juico.
The Fil-American Creative Writing student of University of Miami runs in the 100M heats at 6:30 p.m. today.
In the coming days, Cray, who is coming off a gold medal in the 400M hurdles of the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships and a silver in the 60M Run of the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, takes part in the 400M hurdles and the 4×100 relay with Trenton Beram, Anferenee Lopena and Clinton Bautista.
Beram is also joining the 800 meters, while Bautista is slated to compete in the 110m hurdles.
Obiena, the pole vault favorite in the SEA Games before he was sidelined by an ACL tear, is now fully recovered. He competes in the pole vault on Aug. 29, where he is one of the favorites.
Marco Vilog is the PH’s bet in the 800 meters, while Francis Medina takes part in the 400m Hurdles.
Mary Joy Tabal, who has been training in Tuscany for several months, joins the marathon tomorrow, while Marestella Sunang makes what could be her last hurrah in these games in the triple jump competitions on Aug. 27.
