Javelin gold just ‘dandy’

Dandy Gallenero, a late addition to the Philippine contingent that finished fifth at the 21st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur last September, got his reward just as he came in – late. But as the cliché goes, better late than never.

Yesterday, his gold medal in javelin was delivered to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) office at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) complex.

I visited the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) office in Kuala Lumpur last week and was entrusted the gold medal by OCM secretary general Dato Sieh Kok Chi. Witnessing the turnover were Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union secretary general Karim Ibrahim, OCM general manager M. P. Haridas, and Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) secretary general Dato Yeoh Choo Hock.

Dato Sieh said Gallenero’s gold medal arrived from Bangkok via special mail service a few hours before my visit and asked if I could deliver the medal to the POC. With pleasure, I replied. And so began my new career as courier.

I made sure the gold medal was within reach throughout the comfortable three-hour flight back to Manila on KLM last Saturday. I safely tucked it inside my carry-on bag. I could lose all my belongings, I told myself, except the gold medal.

Gallenero, 23, almost didn’t make it to the 27-man Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) squad, known as PATAFA president Go Teng Kok’s Army. He was included in the team only a month before the SEA Games. Go added Gallenero to the roster after he registered a javelin throw of 63.57 meters in his final performance trial in Baguio.

In Kuala Lumpur, the 5-7 Gallenero posted a throw of 67.14 meters, good for second place behind Thirdsak Boonjansari of Thailand. Boonjansari later tested positive for an illegal drug, prompting his disqualification.

Two other athletes tested positive in random drug testing conducted by the SEA Games Organizing Committee. They were weightlifter Gustar Juni Anto of Indonesia and discus thrower Wansawang Sawusdee of Thailand. Gustar was stripped of the gold medal in the 62 kilogram class and Sawusdee lost his silver medal.

The disqualifications were formalized at a SEA Games Federation Executive Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur last Dec. 20. The Committee also decided to elevate those athletes next in line to claim the forfeited medals. Disqualified athletes were given up to Jan. 20 to return their medals.

Dato Sieh said Gallenero had earlier turned in his silver medal which will go to previous third placer Kyaw Swat Moe of Myanmar.

Gallenero’s late gold boosted the Go Army’s harvest to nine and the Philippine contingent’s total haul to 31. Gallenero’s older brother Fidel also bagged a gold in decathlon for Go’s Army. Athletics was the country’s saving grace in Kuala Lumpur.

Haridas, commenting on the Philippines’ showing in track at the SEA Games, said Filipinos are making progress in the middle and long distance events but seem to be lacking in female talent. With the retirement of track darlings Lydia de Vega and Elma Muros Posadas, Haridas wondered who will be the next Filipina athletics queen.