Patafa: Two track bets could join Cray in Rio

The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) targets at least two more Olympic berths after a successful campaign in the recent 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

Athletics chief Philip Ella Juico said pole vaulter EJ Obiena and long jumper Marestella Torres may have a shot at making the cut after Filipino-American Eric Shaun Cray earned the first slot for the country in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

“This is a huge achievement to have a bonafide qualifier from the Philippines,” Juico said of Cray, who met the Olympic qualifying time in the 400m hurdles in Los Angeles last month.

“We are targeting to have two to three more [Olympic bets]. If this happens, it will be a complete turnaround from past years where the country’s representatives in track and field were mainly exempt athletes.”

Juico said Obiena had smashed the national record several times in the last two years, while the Olympian Torres looked ready for another return.

Cray, who was born in Olongapo but grew up in the United States, ruled the 400m hurdles and the 100m in the SEA Games.

Kayla Richardson also bagged the century dash gold to complete the country’s surprise sweep of the event.

“It was a shocking performance,” said Juico. “Never in the history of the SEA Games have we taken the sprint crown in the men and women’s 100.”

Caleb Stuart topped the hammer throw and Christopher Ulboc won the 3,000m steeplechase to round out the country’s five-gold haul in athletics.