Déjà vu as red flags foil Marestella Torres’ bid anew

INCHEON, South Korea—Four years ago, not even the darkness could hide the anguish in Marestella Torres’ tear-stained face after a foul-plagued failure in the women’s long jump event of athletics at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

After crashing out of the Games, she tried to lock herself up in her room at the Athletes’ Village.

When she could not find enough solitude there she escaped to an unlit garden nearby, where journalists chanced upon her.

“I’m thinking of retiring after this,” she said then, crying.

“I remember that,” the 33-year-old athlete said on Tuesday. “I just kept crying. I didn’t want to go out or see anyone.”

Four years later, she was back in front of an Asiad crowd, going for gold at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium here.

But also returning with her were the red flags that went up with every foul attempt. It was the same story from five years ago.

Torres stepped on the foul line six times and was dropped from the eight-jumper final.

On her final attempt, she went for broke. When the red flag went up, she broke down.

“This is the second Asiad that I failed to win,” she said in Filipino, adding that she found it strange how “during Asian championships or any other tournament of the same level, I beat the same opponents.” “I’m not crying anymore,” she said Tuesday.

“She did her best in her three jumps,” said newly elected athletics president Philip Ella Juico. “Those were the coaches’ orders. They wanted her to be on attack mode.”

Torres intends to use the regional Games as preparation for next year’s World Athletics Championships.

She is expected to resume training with Jim Lafferty, an American businessman who pushed her to rigorous training for the Asian Games.