Capas, Tarlac—Marestella Torres-Sunang leaped to a modest 6.2 meters on her fourth attempt in the women’s long distance event of the Southeast Asian Games Athletics Test Event at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium, but it proved just enough for the gold medal.
Torres-Sunang, who could be on her final SEA Games, beat Thai bet Parinya Chuaimaroeng, who settled for the silver with her 6.17 meters on her fifth attempt, and Vietnamese Thi Ngoc Ha Vu, who took the bronze with a 6.02-meters leap on her first try.
“That’s a good indication of what kind of place she’ll get. It’s a morale booster and confidence builder. She’s inspired performing before her countrymen,” said Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Juico.
In beating her Thai and Vietnamese rivals for the gold, Torres-Sunang, who will be taking part in her seventh SEA Games, moved closer to her target of 6.45 meters, which earned her the bronze medal two years ago.
“Nag-practice na ako dito. Pero this time, may mga foreigners,” said Torres-Sunang, who expects to better her golden leap here during the SEA Games proper. Hindi naman namin ito focus kasi, siningit lang ito sa training.”
Torres-Sunang believes that she has now reached at least 70 percent of her peak in performance.
“Sa December, kailangan nandoon na,” said Torres-Sunang, whose owns the national record of 6.72 meters which qualified her to the Rio Olympics three years ago.
That mark would practically obliterate the 6.68 meters of Vietnam’s Bùi Thị Thu Thảo, the gold winner of the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Torres-Sunang’s feat came as defending women’s discus throw champion Insaeng Subenrat of Thailand heaved a mind-boggling 56.99 meters for the gold medal.
Subenrat’s feat surpassed the 55.23-meter heave which won her the gold medal in the 2017 SEA Games, with Filipino bets Daniella Daynata and Aira Teodosio coming up with heaves of 38.53 and 37.49 meters, respectively, for second and third places.
The two-day test event in athletics featuring 24 of the 48 athletics’ events is expected to show how ready Filipino tracksters are for the games.
All the running events are slated on Sunday as the 72-member Philippine athletics’ team takes on tracksters from Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Among the Philippines’ toughest challengers is top Vietnamese sprinter Trần Thị Yến Hoa, who will defend her crown in the women’s 100-meter hurdles.
Hoa showed up at the the 20,000-seat New Clark City athletics’ stadium all by herself, getting ready to face Filipino bets Melissa Escoton and Jelly Diane in Sunday’s running events.
Two years ago, Hoa took the gold in 13.4 seconds, and early this year, she had a slower time of 13.79 seconds in the Vietnamese national championships.
Escoton, who had a time of 14.19 seconds in the recent PATAFA Weekly Relays, is her closest foe.