Team Philippines, preparing for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, bagged three silver medals at the close of the Singapore National Athletics Championships.
Clinton Kingsley Bautista, Joyme Sequita and John Mike Lera all settled for runner-up finishes behind their respective rivals during the three-day meet.
This gave the Filipinos a sixth-place finish, while Malaysia, Singapore and Chinese Taipei ended up in first, second and third, respectively.
Malaysia scooped up 13 golds, eight silvers and three bronze medals, while Singapore had a 7-7-6 tally, with Chinese Taipei getting six golds and three silvers.
Bautista clocked 14.16 seconds and was at the back of Hanoi Games silver medalist Ang Chen Xiang, who took the gold in 13.89 seconds.
Xiang’s performance was considered a new national record, as he broke the 13.90-second standard, according to results posted on the tournament’s official website.
Bautista’s clocking was far from the national record of 13.78 he set last year in the 2022 SEA Games.
South Korean Dae Hee Kim settled for third at 14.53 seconds.
Sequita, who will be in the men’s 4×400 meter relays with Bautista, settled for second place in the men’s open 400-meter run in 47.73 seconds.
Hanoi SEA Games bronze medallist Calvin Quek took the gold medal in 47.43 seconds.
Lera leaped to a distance of 7.48 meters in the men’s long jump open for the silver, with Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chia Hsiang taking the gold medal in 7.66 meters.
Laotian bet Xaida Vongsavanh grabbed the bronze medal (7.23 meters).
A 54-member national squad in athletics has been formed to seek a better performance in the biennial meet in Cambodia.
