After skirting suspension, two-time Olympian Eric Cray is back in action and is ready to lead the national athletics team in the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta next month.
The Filipino-American sprinter arrived in Manila over the weekend, but left Tuesday morning for the 25th Vietnam International Athletics Championship in Ho Chi Minh City.
Joining Cray in the prestigious five-day tourney are sprinters Kristina Knott and Francis Medina; long jumper Janry Ubas; decathlete Aries Toledo; hurdlers Patrick Unso, Clinton Clark Bautista and Marco Vilog; and throwers Daniela Daynata and Albert Mantua.
Another Olympian in Marestella Torres and Harry Diones were also supposed to join, but were pulled out at the last minute to avoid being scouted by their Asian counterparts.
Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico said Cray is all pumped up and ready to prove that he belongs to the team.
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“We were talking last night and he assured me his commitment to the national team,” said Juico, who is gunning for an impressive run in the Asian Games en route to a dominant performance in the 30th Southeast Asian Games next year.
“The Vietnam Open is the final phase of our preparation for the Asian Games. This is their chance to finetune their performances. Having Cray seeing action there will be a major boost to his (Asian Games) preparation.”
On the contrary, SEA Games gold medalists Trenten Berram and Mary Joy Tabal as well as rising star EJ Obiena were not included in the Vietnam tourney.
Berram and Tabal will arrive in the country early next month from their respective training destinations in the United States and Italy while Obiena will proceed straight to Jakarta from his training camp in Italy.
Juico said he expects these stars to be in great shape.
“They’re fresh from five months of hard training so I’m sure they will be ready to go,” said Juico, adding that Obiena has a “very minor” finger injury but is expected to recuperate just in time for the prestigious quadrennial meet set from Aug. 16 to Sept. 2.
“We’re already entering the final phase of our preparation and our athletes are slowly reaching their peaks. I hope they can give other countries a preview of what to expect from them in the Vietnam Open.” JCM
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