Fil-Am Alyana Nicolas reaffirmed her position as the country’s top female pole vaulter late Sunday night by successfully defending her title with a confidence-boosting clearance of 4.00 meters at the conclusion of the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships, held at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
Spurred on by the hometown crowd and as the last woman standing in the field, Nicolas cleared the bar on her first attempt — her first time reaching the height since 2019 — providing a rousing finale to the competition organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA).
Upon landing, the ever-spirited vaulter covered her mouth in disbelief, then stood and waved to the appreciative crowd whose support helped fuel her performance.
Eying qualification for the Asian Athletics Championships later this month in Gumi, South Korea, the bubbly athlete switched to a stiffer pole and raised the bar to the qualifying height of 4.10 meters. However, visibly drained from the heat, she failed in all three of her attempts.
FILAM Sports’ Amy Christensen, who provided the stiffest challenge, settled for silver with a leap of 3.85 meters in her memorable debut at the meet, backed by the ICTSI Sports Foundation and CEL Logistics.
Meanwhile, UAAP Season 86 MVP Hussein Lorana also delivered a standout performance under the searing heat and humidity. He surged ahead in the final 200 meters to claim the men’s 800-meter title in 1:51.86, a relatively slow time but enough to separate from the field.
In the men’s high jump, a minor upset unfolded as national record holder and Philippine team mainstay Leonard Grospe, still recovering from surgery on bone spurs in his left takeoff foot, only managed a bronze with a modest 2.12-meter leap.
It was well below his national mark of 2.21 meters set in the 2023 edition of the same meet, which is supported by United Auctioneers Inc., Wireless Link, Milo, Pocari Sweat, Clark Water, Masiv Sports, EnergyA, and BCDA-New Clark City.
Malaysia’s Mohd Eizlan Dahalan won the gold with a 2.16-meter jump, while Kent Bryan Celeste claimed silver with a 2.14-meter effort, in an event also backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.
“I haven’t hit (four-meter height) for so long, so I am proud of myself for doing it at the right place at the right time. I haven’t jumped four meters since coming over with (former national team member) Natalie Uy in 2019 at National Open in Ilagan, Isabela,” Nicolas shared.
“I have to thank Amy for pushing me. I know that there’s still a lot left in me and I am really looking forward to the rest of the season,” she added, with Christensen beside her.
Nicolas noted that had it not been for the stifling humidity, she might have cleared 4.10 meters: “I was trying for 4.10 and was pretty confident I could get it. I took a lot of jumps today, so the heat took a lot out of me.”
Though finishing second to her fellow Fil-Am, Christensen was upbeat about her performance and the overall experience: “I’m happy for Aly. We’ve been training together for most of the season, so it’s been great.”
“However, I’m a bit disappointed at my jumps. I didn’t jump well today,” said the San Francisco State varsity standout, whose mother hails from San Fernando, Pampanga.
Both Nicolas and Christensen confirmed they would compete in the PATAFA Pole Vault Challenge, organized by men’s pole vault star Ernest John Obiena, today at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.
In the men’s 800 meters, Lorana shared that he was initially pressed by fellow national team member Dhem Ai Monton but broke away down the stretch to secure his third straight gold in the event.
Monton, exhausted from chasing Lorana, faded to third with a time of 1:53.19, while another national team member took the silver with a 1:52.50 finish.
“Hindi ko rin na-break yung personal best ko kasi po short ang recovery time between the heats, semifinals, and finals,” Lorana said, referring to his top time of 1:49.45.
In the women’s heptathlon, 30th SEA Games gold medalist Sarah Dequinan took the crown with 4,441 points. FEU’s Antonette Jay Aguilon followed in second with 3,651 points across the seven-discipline event.
Finally, Spectrum’s Junel Gobodia and Jessa Mae Roda emerged victorious in the grueling 3,000-meter steeplechase. Gobodia clocked 9:12.11 in the men’s race, while Roda finished the women’s race in 11:09.37.
