Patafa sends powerful team to Hanoi

The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) will be sending a powerful delegation to the 31^st Southeast Asian Games.

Kristina Knott, Christine Hallasgo and Ernest John “EJ” Obiena will banner the Philippine team when the federation campaigns in 39 out of 46 events in the men’s and women’s divisions.

A Tokyo Olympian and SEA Games record holder in the women’s 200-meter run, Knott is coming out of her season’s best time of 7.39 seconds in the women’s 60-meter event of the World Athletics Indoor Championship in Serbia last March.

Her career best is 7.26 seconds which she accomplished in the American Track League in Fayetteville, Arkansas in January 2021, a performance that served as her ticket to the World Indoors.

Hallasgo, a late addition to the national squad in 2019, led a 1-2 finish with 2017 SEA Games gold medalist Mary Joy Tabal in the previous biennial meet in Clark.

She validated that triumph with another impressive performance as she emerged victorious in the MILO National Championship over reigning champion Tabal a few weeks later.

Obiena is finally included in the 49-man national squad after the successful completion of his mediation with the federation on 30 March.

Obiena apologized to the Patafa board of trustees, Patafa president Philip Ella Juico, and all the athletes and coaches for certain actions and statements he made. The federation agreed to endorse him to various international competitions on case-by-case basis subject to federation’s rules and regulations.

Juico, as authorized by the Patafa board, formally transmitted their new entry by name list that includes Obiena and 4×100-meter relay member Kurt Baril to the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Aside from Knott, Hallasgo and Obiena, other stars like Eric Cray, Aries Toledo, Janry Ubas, Melvin Calanoc, Clinton Bautista, Natalie Uy, William Morrison and Sarah Dequinan will all returning to defend their respective SEA Games titles.

Gonzaga University standouts Said and Yacine Guermali will also be making their SEA Games debut, boosting the federation’s chances of surpassing its previous finish of 11 gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals in the 2019 editions of the SEA Games in Clark.

The athletics squad also established four new Philippine and SEA Games records on its way to capturing 27 medals.