PH Atheltics eyes at least 8 golds at 2015 SEA games
The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), under the new leadership of Dr. Philip Ella Juico, is eyeing to haul at least 8 gold medals on the upcoming 28th Southeast Asia (SEA) games in Singapore which will kickoff on June 5, Friday.
PATAFA, together with popular watch brands TIMESTUDIO and VELOCI Time, had its send-off party for the 36-strong Team Pilipinas Athletics last May 28 at the Mariott Hotel. It is here where the 36-strong athletics team was revealed.
The Philippines is most likely to secure gold in the athletics events thorough:
Men’s atheltics- potential gold winners
Arniel Ferrra & Caleb John Christian Stuart– Hammer Throw
Rene Herrera– 3000 meters Steeplechase
Jesson Ramil Cid– Decathlon
Henry Dagmil– Long Jump
Mervin Guarte– 800 meters Run
Ernest John Obiena– Pole Vault
Edgardo Alejan Jr. & Archnard Christian Bagsit– 400 meters Run
Junrey Bano & Eric Shauwn Cray– 400 meters Hurdles
Alejan, Bagsit, Cray, Cid- 4 x 400 meters Relay
Cray, the current world top 7 in the 400 meters Hurdles have also qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was also the gold medalist during the last SEA games and holds a personal best record of 50.0 seconds. (Here is the complete profile of all the Filipino atheltics contingent)
Meanwhile, PATAFA considers the following athletes to finish with a high posibility of at least a bronze medal:
Men’s Athletics- potential medal winners
Eduardo Buenavista– Men’s Marathon
Roldan Verano– 1500 meters Run
Patrick Ma Unso– 110 meters Hurdles
Stuart John Christian Caleb– Discuss Throw; Shut Put
Women’s Athletics- potential medal winners
Marestella Torres & Katherine Khay Santos- Long Jump
Mary Grace Delos Santos– 10,000 meters Run
Narcisa Atienza– Heptathlon
Should the “best scenario”projection of Dr. Juico come true, the country is in the position to grab a maximum of 12 gold medals. This can eclipse the Philippines athletics team’s 11 gold-12 silver-9 bronze medals best finish in the 1983 SEA games which was also held in Singapore.
The athletics event will begin two days after the SEA games on June 7, Sunday.
About The Author
Adrian John Ladaga
Adrian started running in 2012 and instantly fell in love with the sport. He now frequents local running events. For him running is simple "you take one foot in front of another and repeat the process over and over again." You can catch him running in CCP and the Quirino Grandstand. When not on his running kicks, he steps in the shoes of a content writer and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert.
After a forgettable campaign at the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in
Myanmar, the Philippines is under huge pressure to bounce back strong
this year when the biennial meet returns in Singapore.