As the Southeast Asian Games kicks off, Filipino athletes are ready to take on their rivals and go for the gold.
Among them are Christine Hallasgo, Richard Salano, and Arlan Arbois, who will be competing in the marathon competitions in Sim Reap City on Saturday.
Hallasgo, who won the marathon championship in the 2019 SEA Games and settled for silver last year in Vietnam, is determined to regain her crown with the help of newcomer Ruffa Sorongon.
However, she will have to beat defending champion Odekta Elvina Naibaho of Indonesia and bronze medalist Ngoc Hoa Hoang Thi of Vietnam to do so.
Despite the tough competition, the Philippine athletics team is confident and ready to compete.
“Overall, the team is ready. Napaganda ‘yung maagang dating namin dito, hindi hurried at unti unti nagse-settle in time for the competitions. Our athletes are not tense. They are ready to compete,” said athletics’ secretary general Edward Kho.
However, they can expect fierce competition from Vietnamese runners, who have been in Cambodia for a month, familiarizing themselves with the routes and conditions.
Meanwhile, Salano and Arbois are looking to challenge defending men’s champion Hoang Nguyen Thanh of Vietnam in the marathon, with the absence of Thailand’s Tony Ah-Thit Payne giving them an opening to fight for a podium finish or even an upset win against the favorites.
With the weather expected to reach a high of 39-degrees, the conditions will be challenging for all the athletes.
The rest of the athletics events will be held in Phnom Penh from May 8 to 12 at the Morodok Techno National Stadium, with world’s no. 3 Ernest John Obiena shooting for a third straight SEA Games title in the pole vault on Monday.
