Asian Youth Games bares Pinoys lack of mental toughness

SINGAPORE – More than the physical aspect is the mental aspect which young Filipino athletes must learn to develop if they are to succeed in the international arena.

This was the concensus among the top officials of the Philippine delegation that saw action in the first Asian Youth Games, a huge gathering of athletes, aged 14 to 17 years, representing 43 countries.

Col. Cesar Binag, RP Team chef-de-mission here and table tennis president back home, said it was quite easy to notice that Filipino athletes have difficulty handling the pressure when ranged against the best.

He cited the case of Jason Valdez, a 14-year-old participant in the boys’ 10-meter air rifle, where the RP bet got off to a fiery start only to lose his focus when he realized he was on top of the scoring list.

“Jason was number two after the first 10 shots and number one after the first 20 shots. Then when he saw that he was ahead, he seemed to have lost his concentration,” said Binag, a police officer.

Valdez failed to land in the finals with his 557 total while China’s Wu Jia Ning eventually won the gold with a 587.

Still, Binag said he was impressed with Valdez’ performance, being so young and so able, that he recommended his immediate inclusion in the RP pool of athletes to be trained for major international competitions.

“He has the potential. But he must develop his mental toughness,” said Binag, adding that in the eight other sports where Filipinos competed here, it was a typical sight where consistency seemed to be the problem.

Collins Jose, who won the bronze in the boys’ masters of bowling, was in a similar situation in the singles event where he made heads turn following a pacesetting 251 in his first game. But he followed it up with a 190, and eventually finished seventh overall.

“It’s really more of the mental aspect,” said the RP chef-de-mission who was awed by Singapore’s way of developing their young, talented athletes at the highly-advanced Singapore School of Sports.

Chairman Harry Anping of the Philippine Sports Commission shared Binag’s observation, as well as Philippine Olympic Committee secretary-general Steve Hontiveros who was here to join the RP Team.

“The question is how do we develop the mental toughness of our players? By providing them enough international exposure and pit them against the best so they will learn not to be intimidated?” said Angping.

“Maybe we can also hire psychologists to handle our athletes, and teach them how to prepare for matches psychologically. We can’t feel intimidated. And in close matches, you need mental toughness,” said the PSC chief.

Hontiveros said PSC and POC officials must put their act together and start focusing on the youths, rather than on the aging athletes in the elite pool.