Glory in Himalayas    

Philippines bets king, queen in altitude OCR World Meet

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines continued to produce more world champions as Andrico Mahilum and Sandi Abahan emerged from the Himalayas as the Altitude OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) World Championships Mount Everest winners.

The pair beat the best the world can offer in the sport as they topped the female and male sections of the race in ultra high altitude setting.

It was a monumental performance for both Abahan, an Igorota and Cordilleran elite trail runner, and Mahilum, an Army sergeant and vertical racer, as they added to the country’s growing list of world beaters.

The pair joined an elite list led by Tokyo Olympics weightlifting gold winner Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, world champion gymnast Caloy Yulo, World Games karate gold medalist Junna Tsukii and world jiu-jitsu queens Meggie Ochoa and Kimberly Anne Custodio.

“Mahilum and Abahan are both worthy of bringing home the championship trophies. They trained hard. They were focused. They have been tried and tested by obstacles,” Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation president Atty. Al Agra told The STAR.

“All glory belongs to them. The federation is here for them, to make their lives better through sports,” he added.

For Abahan, whose mom is from Mountain Province and dad from Ifugao but grew up in Baguio, the victory came a month after she topped the Spartan Pro for 30-39 years old of the 50k Borneo Trail Classic in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Interestingly, Abahan was already famous as one of the five Filipinos recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records during World’s Highest OCR and Altitude OCR on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania last Sept. 19.

That was apart from the women’s 5km gold medal she snared in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games the country hosted at Filinvest, Muntinlupa.