Fil-Am sprinter eyes SEAG crowns

Filipino-American sprinter Miguel Rosario is setting his sights on the gold medals when he competes in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games this December.

Rosario said he hopes that he had done enough to secure his slot in the national team after clinching a gold medal in the 200m run and a silver medal in the 100m run of the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships at the New Clark City Stadium in Tarlac recently.

“Yeah, that would be the goal. Take it as far as I can and then hopefully just represent my people at the biggest stage like the SEA Games,” Rosario said.

“I’ve always looked up to Eric Cray. Just being able to see what he’s done motivated me to see what I can do as well.”

Rosario crossed the finish line in 20.82 seconds to win the men’s 200m event.

He could have broken the time of 20.84 seconds set by Trenten Beram in the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia but he is not yet qualified to hold a national record as he has yet to secure a Philippine passport.

The 20-year-old sprinter from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona also clocked 10.53 seconds in the men’s 100m event but settled for a silver medal as Marc Brian Louis of Singapore clinched the gold medal with 10.45 seconds.

Rosario believes he can do better than the times he registered in the Philippine Athletics Championships.

“So, I’m just grateful for breaking that record. It’s always been like a goal of mine ever since I was like 20.84 and I just ran 20.82. But I feel like I can definitely go faster,” Rosario said.

“But just trying to be grateful, live in the moment, enjoy this moment while it lasts. I’m excited for the future.”