Eric Cray proved that he still has what it takes he bagged his unprecedented sixth straight Southeast Asian Games title in the men’s 400 meters hurdles with a time of 50.03 seconds.
The historic feat happened on Thursday at the Morodok Techo National Stadium as the 34-year-old standout was too much for the field.
Cray started this run with a gold in the 2013 Games in Naypyidaw in Myanmar, and since then the national record holder in the event at 48.98 never lost the title in six editions of the biennial meet.
“It was six chances, 6-0. It’s a good thing I had good coaches,” the Filpino athletics legend said after.
“It’s eight (referring to his gold medals in the Games), so hopefully I’ll get more before I retire. I have to talk to my coaches,” he added.
This is the third gold in athletics after EJ Obiena in the pole vault and Janry Ubas in the long jump.
Thailand’s Natthaphon Dansungnoen ended with silver with 50.73, while Singapore’s Jun Jie Calvin Quek followed with 50.75.
Alrhyan Labita finished the race in seventh with 53.98 seconds.
On the women’s side, Robyn Brown took the silver on her Games debut with 56.51, just a few ticks behind Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Huyen’s 56.29.
Cray’s title snapped a wait for an athletics gold after John Cabang and Natalie Uy ended with bronzes in the men’s 100 meters hurdles and the women’s pole vault, respectively.
