BY NICK GIONGCO
After its overachieving performance in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine Track and Field Association (Patafa) plans to trim the size of the national team to a level so it can increase the funds available to the elite athletes.
“Right now, the number of athletes and coaches is about 80,” said Patafa president Philip Juico, whose track and field bets garnered a total of 11 gold medals.
“We’d like to cut it to about 60 so we don’t spread ourselves thinly,” said Juico.
Aside from the 11 top finishes, there were also eight silver and 11 bronze medals from the 45 events played during the Nov. 30-Dec. 11 sportsfest at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as top priority next year, Juico will sit down with the Patafa family to make an assessment of everything for the year 2019.
Sending legit qualifiers and not just token representatives to Tokyo – is foremost on Juico’s mind.
So far, only pole vaulter EJ Obiena has secured an Olympic berth after the Italy-based athlete cleared 5.80 meters last September in Italy.
In the SEAG, Obiena finally lived up to his lofty billing by resetting the SEAG mark from 5.25 meters to 5.35.
Juico is also giddy with excitement over sprinter Kristina Knott, who likewise shattered the SEAG record in the 200-meter dash, clocking 23.01 seconds.
Then there’s Natalie Uy, another SEAG pole vault record-holder, and fellow record-breaker William Morrison in shotput.
Eric Cray, who was a dismal failure during the century heats after getting a DQ, redeemed himself with gold medals in the 4×100 mixed gender relay and in his pet 400 hurdles.
Cray, 31, said he would be racing in the US in an effort to make it to Tokyo.
The other gold sources came from marathoner Christine Hallasgo, 110-meter hurdles ace Clinton Bautista, decathlete Aries Toledo, heptathlete Sarah Dequinan and javelin thrower Melvin Calano.