PHILIPPINE athletics is going modest on its goal in the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games but is also keen on trekking the same path in qualifying athletes other than world No. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“We’ll take the path of the Philippine Olympic Committee [POC],” said Terry Capistrano, president of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), referring to the POC policy announced by its president, Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, that only the gold and silver medalists in the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games will be funded by the Philippine Sports Commission in Hangzhou.
The bronze medalists in Cambodia, according to the POC policy, and those who approximate Asian and world standards, would have to be paid for by their respective national sports associations.
Capistrano said the PATAFA intends to cut in half its current 42-member national pool and is looking to most of them performing better in two major competitions ahead of the September 23 to October 8 Asian Games—the Asian championships in Pattaya from July 12 to 16 in and the World Athletics Championships in Budapest from August 19 to 27.
All three are Olympic qualifying tournaments with the qualifying window for Paris starting this July 1 and ending June 30 next year.
“We’re hoping to qualify athletes outright and not based on ranking points which is very complicated,” said Capistrano, adding that he expects Obiena to breeze to Paris.
Obiena only needs to clear 5.82 meters in any World Athletics-sanctioned competition to make the Paris grade. He’s gone over the height several times and owns the Asian record of 5.93 meters.
Janry Ubas, who won one of PATAFA’s four gold medals in Cambodia, needs to add more work to his 7.85 meters effort if he wants to make the 8.27-meter Olympic qualifying standard.
Ubas also claimed silver in men’s decathlon in the SEA Games but his 6,923 points is way below the Olympic minimum of 8,460 points.
Expected to compete in Hangzhou are silver medalists Umajesty Williams (400 men) and Sonny Montonegro Wagdos (5,000 men) and six-time SEA Games men’s 400
hurdles champion Eric Cray.
Cray’s 50.03 seconds in hurdles, however, is two seconds short of the Olympic standard of 48.70 seconds. Women’s SEA Games silver medalists capable of making surprises in the Asiad are Joida Gagnao (3,000 steeplechase), Gennah Malapit (javelin throw) and Sarah Dequinan (heptathlon) also won silvers in Cambodia and are expected to make the Hangzhou Games.