The Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) is looking to outduel powerhouse Thailand and Vietnam when it competes in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok from 9 to 20 December.
Patafa president Terry Capistrano said that they are planning to come up with an intense training program to make sure that they will emerge as overall champion in one of the two centerpiece sports of the biennial meet.
In the previous edition of the SEA Games in Cambodia in 2023, the Filipinos clinched four gold, 10 silver and eight bronze medals to finish fifth behind Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Ernest John Obiena, the fourth-best pole vaulter in the world, shone brightest while long jumper Janry Ubas, hurdler Eric Cray and 4x400-meter runners Clinton Bautista, Michael del Prado, Joyme Sequita and Umajesty Williams all chipped in to the country’s golden harvest.
But Capistrano stressed that they will be shooting for more in the upcoming SEA Games.
“Our ambition is always to come out first. That is the intention but we will see,” Capistrano said, stressing that the key to victory is by “turning silvers into golds.”
“Because we might, like the last Southeast Asian Games, make four gold medals and a hell of a lot of silver medal finishes. Silvers can turn into golds.”
The athletics chief knows that the battle will not be easy.
The Thais are coming off one of their most successful participations when they copped 16 gold medals featuring jumper Tawan Kaeodam, who broke the SEA Games record in the men’s high jump event.
Not to be outdone, the Vietnamese are strong No. 2 after they pocketed 12 gold medals following the strong performances of their long-distance runners like 12-time SEA Games champion Nguyen Thi Oanh, who ruled the women’s 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs.
Capistrano said both Thailand and Vietnam will compete in the SEA Games with fire in their eyes.
“Thailand and Vietnam, over the years, have been moving heaven and earth trying to be No. 1,” he said.
To get a fighting chance against these regional superpowers, Capistrano is planning to send his athletes to various tourneys in Asia for training and exposure.