6 athletes nominated for Atleta

Thanks to the exploits of Simeon Toribio, Mona Sulaiman, Lydia de Vega, Isidro del Prado and Elma Muros-Posadas, just to name a few, athletics has blessed Philippine sports with a long and lasting legacy of excellence.

To this illustrious list, the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) hopes to add six candidates who have the potential to shine under the Athletes Assistance (Atleta) program of the Philippine Sports Commission.

After rigid evaluation by the national coaching staff, the athletes nominated for Atleta are Lerma Balauitan, Christabel Martes, Eduardo Buenavista, John Lozada, Fidel Gallenero and Jimar Jaing.

"We consider them as having the best chance for medals not only at the Southeast Asian but also at the Asian level. They are very promising," PATAFA president Go Teng Kok said. "Under the Atleta program, their careers should flourish."

Balauitan, a dusky long jumper from Camasi, Cagayan, is tipped as Elma's heir apparent and showed promise when she won the bronze medal in last year's Brunei Southeast Asian Games with a leap of 6.27 meters.

Martes, on the other hand, is being groomed as a long-distance runner whose forte is the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races aside from the women's marathon. The 20-year-old native of La Trinidad, Benguet was last year's national Milo marathon women's champion.

In Buenavista, who hails from Sto. Nino, South Cotabato, the country may have finally found a replacement for veteran steeplechaser Hector Begeo who is now way past his prime.

The soft-spoken and unassuming athlete was a surprise silver medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in Brune -- a remarkable debut in international competition for the 20-year-old Seventh Day Adventist.

Lozada matched Buenavista's silver in Brunei with a solid runner-up finish in the 800 meters and is also being trained as a contender in the 1,500 meters.