Ten national records in athletics were set as the year 2019 ended.
These records were made after the Philippines settled for third place in athletics during the 30th Southeast Asian Games, pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and two promising tracksters found their spots in the national team.
Among the new marks that were made were from Obiena and fellow pole vaulter Natalie Uy. Obiena qualified for the Olympics when he cleared 5.81 meters during the Street Meet in Chiara, Italy last September.
Obiena broke his own national mark of 5.71 meters, which he set again back in April at the Doha Asian meet.
Uy is one of Philippine athletics’ latest sensation. The Filipino-American kept setting the new national women’s pole vault record, with the last at 4.3 meters during the Spanish Club Championships last June 18.
Earlier this year, Uy cleared 4.12 meters in her first try that broke Deborah Samson’s 11-year-old record (4.11m) during her Philippine debut in the 2019 Ayala Philippine Athletics Championship last March 6, at the Ilagan Sports Complex.
Then, Uy would make 4.25 meter during a Cincinnatti meet a month later, and duplicate this performance during the SEA Games.
Another Fil-American, Kristina Knott, who moved in from Florida to live in the Philippines last year, shattered the meet record twice in the women’s 200-meter dash, and she emerged as the most bemedalled Philippine athletes with two golds and two silvers.
The 23-year-old Knott would first hit 23.07 seconds in the morning heats of the women’s 200-meter run 30th SEA Games, before making 23.01 seconds in the finals.
Knott’s efforts eclipsed her teammate Zion Corrales Nelson’s 23.16 seconds, which the latter accomplished during the US NCAA West Preliminaries early this year.
The new marks made by Knott and Nelson would surpass the 23.35 seconds of de Vega-Mercado, which she accomplished in May 1986 in Walnut, California.
Carter Lilly, a graduate of the University of Iowa, clocked 1:47.52, for a new national record in the men’s 800-meter run in the Bryan Clay Invitational in Los Angeles, last April.
Lilly also set Philippines in the indoor events for the 600-meter and 800-meter run. He clocked 1:16.19 in the 600-meter run at the Meyo Invitationals in South Bend Invitationals in California, last Feb. 1. A week later, Lilly made a time of 1:14.17 at the 800-meter event in Iowa.
Shotput standout Willie Morrison, a prized find from Indiana University, hit 18.38 meters during the SEA Games, and his effort erased the 17.88 meter mark of Caleb Stuart five years ago.
National junior records were rewritten during the Patafa Weekly Relays.
This was from San Beda University standout Al Rhhyan Labita, when his time of 48.75 seconds in the secondary boys 400-meter run in the Patafa Weekly Relays overshadowed the 17-year record of Ralph Waldy Soguilon of 48.81 during a UAAP meet.
There were two other indoor marks that were set, and these were by Fil-Americans Joshua Coffelt and Robyn Brown.
Coffelt finished the men’s 3000-meter indoor run in 8:55.41 at the Southwestern Conference in Birmingham, Alabama last Feb. 14, while Robyn Brown had 42.7 seconds in women’s 300-meter hurdles at the El Camino Allcomers last Feb. 1.
Months of intense preparations yielded the Philippines 11 golds, eight bronzes and eight silvers when action ended two week ago in the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
Despite the third place showing of the host country, the Philippines still stayed within the targets set by the top officials and coaches of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.
Medal wins were not expected of Clinton Kingsley Bautista, Melvin Calano and Sarah Dequinan in men’s 110-meter, hurdles, the men’s javelin throw and in the women’s heptathlon.
But, after coming up with better than expected showings, national coach Jojo Posadas said their performances were way beyond anything they thought possible.
“Dequinan came out of nowhere, while the men’s 110-meter hurdles and the men’s javelin throw were surprises,” said Posadas when he looked back at what took place during the biennial meet.
Bautista snagged the men’s 100-meter hurdles gold, beating Malaysia’s Sofian Wan with the same clocking of13.97 seconds in a photo finish.
And Bautista was able to snatch the gold when he leaned forward and stretched out his head at the finish line.
Anousone Xaysa of Laos, settled for the bronze in 13.99 seconds.
Norliyanna Kamaruddin of Malaysia was favored to win the women’s heptathlon. But big points won by Dequinan in the 200-meter dash and the javelin throw allowed her to stay in the lead and take the gold with a total of 5501 points.
Kamaruddin, who took the top honors in six of events, settled for the bronze with 4906.
“Last year, I predicted 14. It was still within target, with three events not delivering. And that’s the men’s 100-meters, the men’s 800-meters and women’s 4×100-meter relays,” said Posadas.
When the Games ended, Vietnam took in 16 golds, 12 silvers and 10 bronze to finish ahead of the Philippines, with Thailand following behind with a 12-11-12 showing.
“It (gold count) could be anywhere between 6 to 12 golds. That’s (12) the most optimistic,” said PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico, a month before the Games.
Fil-Am sprinter Eric Cray, despite his disqualification in the men’s 100-meter dash heats, bounced back with golds in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, and the 4×400-meter mixed relays and a bronze in the men’s 4×100-meter relays.
Obiena and Natalie Uy topped the men’s and women’s pole vault.
Golds also came from shotputter William Morrison and new marathon queen Christine Hallasgo.
In the Philippine national athletics meet in Ilagan, Isabela, and in the Palarong Pambansa in Davao City early this year, there were eigh young tracksters who stood out.
There was 17-year-olds Jasmin Bombita from Irosin, Sorsogon, and Bernalyn Bejoy of Bacolod City who earned slots in the national team.
Bombita, then an 11th grader at the Gallanosa National High School, made one of 10 new meet records in the Palaro when she cleared 12.46 meters.
This eclipsed the 11.81 meters which Felyn Dolloso did nine years ago.
Bejoy, who played of Team Negros Occidental, also gained qualification in the 2019 SEA Games with her silver medal finish in the 400-meter hurdles of the 2019 Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships
Her time of 1:02.14 seconds in the event was more than enough for her to qualify since the qualifying time was at 1:02.31.
Labita, a transferee from Leyte Sports Academy to San Beda University, set a new meet record on his final year in the secondary boys’ action of the Palaro
The 17-year-old Labita ran an electronically timed 54.13 seconds in the 400 meter hurdles, breaking the seven-year mark of Patrick Unso (54.1 seconds).
Tenth grader Jerry Vasquez, an aspirant from Central Luzon, clocked 9:35.20 in the boys 3000-meter steeplechase and erased the old mark of 9:47.7 set by Crisanto Canillo two years ago in the Palaro.
Alfrenze Braza of Iloilo City also stood out during the Palaro, finishing the secondary boys 1500-meter run in 4:01.96, deleting the five year old record of 4:05.8 by Kevin Capampangan (Northern Mindanao).
Ilocano bet Kent Celeste, after being the first to clear the two-meter mark in the secondry boys high jump at 2.02 meters, and this overshadowed the older record of 1.99 meters he made last year.
Bacolod standout Trexie de la Torre, a long jump gold medallist last year in the ASEAN School Games, cleared 5.84 meters to destroy the old mark of 5.65 meters which Southern Mindanao’s Maricel Sibug set 17 years ago.
De la Torre’s teammate from Bacolod, Jamela de Asis heaved 12.30 meters in the secondary girls shotput of the Palaro, surpassing the 11.88 meters of Kassandra Alcantara of NCR last year.
Another athlete of note in the recent Palaro was John Mike Lera of Northern Mindanao. Lera’s record breaking feat was recognized instead of gold medal winner Algin Gomez of Cagayan Valley, who also had a record-breaking performance in the secondary boys’ long jump.
The 15-year old Lera broke the seven-year-old record of 7.26 meters set by Julian Reem Fuentes of Cagayan Valley in Lingayen, Pangasinan, with his leap of 7.39m on his sixth and final attempt.
Gomez still got the gold with a jump of 7.55m, which also broke the national record of 7.43m set by Jose Jessie Belibestre held in the ASEAN Youth in Ilagan, Isabela two years ago.
But a wind reading of 2.80 meters/second spoiled it all, and as it was over the required 2.0 and below.
Two marks also fell in the elementary girls’ level, first when Gennalyn Domocum of the Socsargen region cleared 5.08 meters, raising the new mark by 1 cm after Alyssa Andrade (Western Visayas) took the gold in 2010 in 5.07 meters.
Second was from Gennalyn Malapit (Region IV-A) after she heaved 46.57 meters in the javelin throw, and this went past Avegail Biliran’s 41.46 meters, which was logged last year.
