REYNALD MAGALLON

ILAGAN CITY – As the fire in the corn-like torch dies down at the City of Ilagan Complex, the national athletics team is now shifting its focus on the looming next big thing around the corner – the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

After a successful staging of the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championship, Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) President Terry Capistrano said that the association would like to dream big – and that is to surpass its five-gold haul in the Hanai SEA Games two years ago.

But everybody – Capistrano included – knows it’s easier said than done.

 “I really don’t like forecasts but people would want to hear that pero nung SEA games sa Hanoi, we had five gold medals. We would like to go way beyond the five gold medals but it’s going to get harder and harder,” said Capistrano who watched the events in the  final two days of the National Open.

The track and field chieftain named Vietnam and Thailand as one of the country’s fiercest competitors in the regional tiff especially after finishing first and second in the medal tally the last time out.

Vietnam collected 22 golds, 14 silvers and eight bronzes while Thailand amassed 12 golds, 11 silvers and eight bronzes. Philippines was a far third with five golds, seven silvers and 14 bronzes.

Capistrano, however, expressed his confidence in the national team’s preparations especially with Fil-heritage athletes showing up for the national open as they also aspire to become one of the national athletes.

“Vietnam and Thailand, I see them and monitor their performances and the way they’re providing support to their athletes medyo matindi itong dalawa na ito. But having said that, matindi rin naman tayo we are pulling any stops to ensure our preparations. We’ll be as good as anybody’s preparations if not better that what we’re aspiring for ,” said Capistrano.

Capistrano bared that PATAFA had already sent the names of athletes who could represent the country in the Phnom Penh but it’s expected to get trimmed down as the NSA officially names its athletes for this year’s edition of the SEA games.

He also noted that some of the Fil-Heritage athletes that saw action for the first time in the Ilagan trackfest are also included to the submitted list. 

Still, despite the expectations, Capistrano said that he wouldn’t want to put pressure on the athletes and the national team coaches as he insisted that giving their all for the flag and country would already be enough.

“I don’t want to put additional pressure, they know what they have to do and paano gawin iyon, gawin yung preparations properly. It wouldn’t be disappointing if we do not make it despite the effort but at least you give a hundred percent effort and that’s more than the nation could ask from our national athletes,” he added.