Triumphant tracksters up against odds in Asiad

MANILA, Philippines - Despite the golden finish of the tracksters in the 27th Southeast Asian Games, athletics officials are maintaining tempered expectations as Pinoy bets vie against tougher rivals in the 2014 Asian Games.

The tracksters outdid themselves in the Myanmar SEAG and collared six gold, four silver and three bronze medals to emerge as the winningest in Team Phl that finished seventh overall.

Henry Dagmil (men’s long jump), Arnand Christian Bagsit (men’s 4x400m), Fil–Am Eric Shawn Cray (men’s 400m hurdles), Christopher Ulboc (steeplechase), Jeeson Ramil Cid (men’s decathlon) and the men’s 4x400m relay team of Edgardo Alejan, Bagsit, Isidro del Prado and Julius Nierras accounted for the mints, which doubled athletics’ output the last time around.

Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association president Go Teng Kok preferred a realistic outlook.

“Even with a gold medal in the SEA Games, compared to the Asian standard, it would be difficult to even land into the top 8,”said Go.

Majority of the other medalists – Cid, Ulboc, and Bagsit – are still in their early 20s and are not expected to blossom so soon.

“Short term, medyo mahihirapan tayo sa Asian Games (We’re not really expecting much for the Asian Games),” admitted head coach Joseph Sy.

“Hopefully, the young ones like Bagsit, Ulboc and Cid will be ripe by the next SEA Games. Normally, development takes six years so they should be able to compete with the best in Asia by 2018,” he added.

Records-wise, Dagmil and Cray loom as the country’s best bets in Incheon.

 â€œDagmil has always been an Asian-caliber athlete while Cray, he has shown his potential in Myanmar,” said Sy.

After the SEA Games, American strength and conditioning coach Ryan Flaherty has recommended the sending of a crack 20-member Filipino team to US for training.

“The spring training will be from February to April when competitions in the US are held on a weekly basis,” said Flaherty, who was hired by the Philippine Sports Commission to serve as strength and conditioning coach of the track and field team in Baguio.