By Kristel Satumbaga
Fil-American Eric Cray banners the elite cast when the Philippine National Athletics Championships and the Southeast Asian Youth Athletics Championships fire off today in the City of Ilagan, Isabela.
Cray, the reigning Southeast Asian Games champion in the men’s 400 meter hurdlers, will be joined by other foreign-based PH bets Carter Lily, Kayla and Kyle Richardson, Natalie Uy and Fil-Canadian Zion Corrales-Nelson.
EJ Obiena, the country’s brightest hope in pole vault who is training in Europe, is also seeing action in the event that serves as one of the qualifiers for the national team that will compete in the 30th SEA Games that the country is hosting late November.
Thousands of athletes from more than 15 countries are also expected to participate with the SEA Youth event raising the curtain on March 2 to 3. It will then take a two-day break before the Nationals take centerstage on March 6 to 8.
This will be the third straight year that the city will be hosting such event and Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) chief Philip Ella Juico eyes this as a prelude to the SEA Games that the country is hosting in November.
“This is the biggest number of competing nations here and we can also assure of a stronger competition because other countries are also fielding their best bets here,” said Juico, adding that participation nations are using this as a training ground for the SEA Games.
“The fact that Thailand is sending 50 athletes makes this tournament tough,” Juico said.
