By RAMON BONILLA
BAGUIO CITY — The air of excitement feels stronger than the cold December breeze that the slew of track stars could only care less when the 2021 Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships unwraps Thursday at the Athletics Bowl here.
Minus the big names but never the eagerness to perform at a high level after months of inactivity from major competitions, over 100 athletes vie for a piece of glory in the 32-event, two-day tournament that serves as a lead-up for the 31st Southeast Asian Games.
Marestella Torres-Sunang, who at 40 still looks fit and ready, takes another act in the women’s long jump which comes first on the menu at 9 a.m.
Testing Torres-Sunang, a four-time SEA Games champ and the national record-holder at 6.72 meters, is Katherine Khay Santos, who hails from the host city and holds a personal best of 6.40m.
Also worth watching at 3:30 p.m. is Bukidnon pride Christine Hallasgo.
Hallasgo surprised almost everybody with her dramatic win over many-time MILO champion Mary Joy Tabal to crown herself SEAG marathon queen two years ago.
With Eric Cray not in town, veterans Anfernee Lopena and Clinton Bautista will be disputing the sprint king title while Hokkett delos Santos, Ronie Juntilla and Francis Obiena — cousin of Asia’s best EJ Obiena — carry the fight in men’s pole vault.
Aside from Cray and Obiena, also absent in the tournament are women’s pole vault record-holder Natalie Uy, shot put’s William Morrison, and Tokyo Olympian and sprinter Kristina Knott.
