Hurdler Cray top Filipino athletics bet

Hurdler Eric Shawn Cray has been named the Philippines’ most outstanding track and field athlete for 2014 by an Internet sports portal.

Athletics portal PinoyAthletics.info hailed the 26-year-old Cray’s achievements for the year which included winning the 400-meter hurdles in the Philippine National Games, placing sixth in the Incheon Asian Games and fifth in Asian indoors.

He also reset his own PH standard of 50.46 seconds set in 2013 by clocking 50 seconds flat during the heats of the Incheon Asiad.
However, the Olongapo-born, US-raised Cray failed to translate his explosive showing in the preliminaries when he timed 51.47 seconds in the final.

Cray, who started his career in collegiate meets in San Antonio, Texas, also timed 6.75 seconds in the 60-meter dash in last year’s Asian indoors held in Hangzhou, China.

Already a top favorite in the coming Southeast Asian Games in Singapore this June, Cray picked his first SEAG gold for the country in 2013 in Burma when he topped his pet event with a time of 51.29 seconds.

Finishing second in the website list was 19-year-old University of Santo Tomas pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena. The second-generation vaulter also topped the youth men’s list of the website. Placing third was decathlete Jesson Cid.

Fil-American Zion Rose Corrales-Nelson captured both the women’s and youth women’s top awards.

At 15, Corrales-Nelson is current holder of the Philippine record in 400 meters at 54.18 seconds established during last May’s British Columbia Schools Championships.

Marathoner Mary Joy Tabal was second and former Asian long jump queen Marestella Torres third. In youth women’s, Leyte Sports Academy prized find in hurdles Karen Janario was second, while Fil-Am sprinter Kayla Richardson was third.