Athletes begin overseas training, eye Olympic stints

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Track and Field Association has started sending its athletes for training abroad with hopes of getting another athlete to qualify to this year's Rio Olympics alongside Fil-Am hurdler Eric Shauwn Cray.

This after athletics chief Philip Ella Juico on Wednesday bared that runner Melvin Guarte, relay specialist Edgardo Alejan and steeplechaser Christopher Ulboc are leaving next week to Perth, Australia to train for three months.

"We're sending them to Perth next week because we want to maximize our chances of qualifying more athletes to the Olympics," said Juico.

Already, PATAFA has already sent pole vaulter EJ Obiena to Poland last December, being one of the country's brightest hopes to qualify to Rio.

"He's been training in Poland under coach Vitaly Petrov since December 19 and will do so until January 18," said Juico of Obiena, who will compete in the UAAP on Feb. 17 and the Asian Indoor Championship in Qatar this summer.

Long jumper Marestella Torres, for her part, is training separately under a private group with an eye on an Olympic slot.

Cray was the only Filipino who made it to Rio thus far after he passed the qualifying standard in a race in Los Angeles last year.

Cray, a Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, timed in 49.12 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, enough to breach the 49.40-second Olympic qualifying standard.