Hopes high for shooters, tracksters

MANILA, Philippines - Officials of athletics and shooting associations remain hopeful of their respective medal chances in next month’s SEA Games in Laos.

This, despite the fact that half of their respective rosters are not receiving the full benefit from the Philippine Sports Commission such as meal allowances and additional incentives enjoyed by their teammates from the government agency. 

The Philippine Track and Field Association (Patafa) has submitted a 20-athlete roster for the SEAG using the criteria of gold-silver-bronze medal by the Philippine Olympic Committee. But the Philippine Sports Commission cut the roster to just seven based on its own criteria.

The Philippine National Shooting Association, on the other hand, has forwarded an 11-man lineup, but the PSC only approved five shooters.

“Despite this handicap, coupled with our shooters’ lack of international exposure, we in the PNSA hope them to perform well in the SEAG,” national shooting head coach Robbie Hermoso said during the Scoop Sa Kamayan weekly session at Kamayan-Padre Faura yesterday..

Based on the criteria implemented by the PSC, only five of the gold medalists in 2007 made the grade although athletics coach Joseph Sy said Patafa had to stick to its recommendation of 20 athletes as it gave premium to the athletes’ performance last year and early this year.

They include Maristela Torres, who recently won the gold in the Asian Athletics Association Championships in China, in women’s long jump, Henry Dagmil in men’s long jump, Arnel Ferrera in hammer throw, Rene Herrera in steeplechaxse and Julius Nieras in 400m run.

The other two to be funded by the PSC are Julius Sermona in the 10,000m run and Rosie Villarito in women’s javelin throw, who are both silver medalists in Thailand.

For shooting, only pistol bets Tac Padilla, Robert Donalvo and Roland Hejastro and rifle artists Mae Conception and Carolino Gonzales have earned the nod of the PSC.

National taekwondo coach Rocky Samson, meanwhile, said his team has no problem as far as support is concerned as all their 16 jins recommended by the Philippine Taekwondo Association got approval from the PSC.

“We have no problem really and because of the full-support our team is getting, I can almost assure that we can improve on the 1-gold (courtesy of Olympian Tsomlee Go), 4-silver, six-bronze medals we won two years ago,” Samson said.       

Sy said other trackers who deserve to compete in Laos are Eduardo Buenavista, Cristable Martes, Julius Nieras Jr., Mercedita Fetalvero, Jho Ann Banayag, Joebert Delicano, Eliezer Sunang, Danilo Fresnido, Sheena Atilano, Junrey Bano, Michael Embuedo, Narcisa Atienza, Midel Dique and Nelbert Docusin.

Hermoso, for his part, said the PNSA is appealing the cases of Edwin Fernandez, Rocky Padilla, Eddie Tomas, Shanin Gonzales, Mica Padilla and Ruth Ricardo, who are all products of the association’s youth development program under Padilla.