Fil-Ams continue to shine in National Open trackfest

STA. CRUZ, Laguna – The Fil-Am invasion continues.

Taking over from where double-gold medalist Caleb Stuart left off, Donovan Arriola and Brandon Thomas joined the fray by topping long jump and 100-meter dash Friday in the National Open-Invitational Athletics Championships at the Laguna Sports Complex here and securing a spot in the national team bound for the Southeast Asian Games.

Arriola, 24, sprung from third to first by coming through with 7.59m in his sixth and final leap to snatch the long jump gold ahead of College of St. Benilde's Julian Reem Fuentes and Team Rio's Benigno Marayag, who were leading before the former University of Texas-El Paso standout decided to turn things around.

Fuentes ended up with a silver with 7.55m while Marayag the bronze with 7.43.

"I had a hard time getting into groove. Good thing I got into rhythm in my last jump," said the 6-1 Arriola, who competed in last year's Philippine National Games but couldn't come up with his best due to hamstring issues.

For this part, Thomas, 24 pulled his hamstring in the final 20m but still managed to snare the century dash mint in 10.80 seconds. He edged Eddie Edwards, Jr. of Sabah, Malaysia and Rodquian Maulion of Arellano University, who checked in second and third in 10.89 and 11.03, respectively.

Finally feeling the unbearable pain from that pulled muscle, Thomas, who ran for US NCAA Division I Texas State University, fell and rolled on the rubberized track a few meters after the finish line and was quickly tended by the race medics on the ground.

It was all worth the pain though as Thomas made it to the SEAG-bound 4x100m relay squad alongside fellow Fil-Am Eric Cray, Brian Mercado and a still unidentified runner.

"It's what I've hoped for," said Thomas, whose mother Rowena Quero is from Makati.

Like Stuart, who took the country by storm by copping two golds in hammer throw and shot put, and Thomas, Arriola clinched one of the two spots in long jump.

Arriola said this is a tribute to his late sister Raquel, who passed away last year.

"This one's for her," he said.

On her first competition since bombing out from last year's Incheon Asian Games, Marestella Torres took the long jump gold in 6.47m, besting University of Baguio's Khay Santos (6.25m) and Team Rio's Felyn Dolloso (5.49m).

"Physically, I'm okay. The only thing I lack now is confidence," said Torres, 34, in Filipino.

Myanmar SEAG gold medal winners Christopher Ulboc of Air Force and Archand Christian Bagsit lived up to expectations and stamped their class on their favorite events to run away with the gold.

Ulboc ruled the 3,000m in 9:09.73, besting Team Rio's Rene Herrera (9:11.91) and TMS Ship Agencies' John Rey Moreno (9:49.21).

Bagsit, the best performing athlete in Myanmar with golds in 400m and 4x400m relay, found some stiff challenge this time but ended up with victory still in 47.26 ahead of Air Force's Edgardo Alejan (47.28) and Ryan Bigyan (47.43).

The event is organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and Philippine Sports Commission and backed by Laguna Water, Pacific Online Scratch It KaskaSwerte, Papa John’s Pizza, Foton Philippines, PCSO, Smart, PLDT, Summit Natural Drinking Water and supported by SSS, Pagcor, Milo, Gatorade, L Time Studio and Asics Watch.