Decathlete Janry Ubas surpassed the Southeast Asian Games record in men’s long jump and could very well duplicate the feat in the coming biennial meet.
The UAAP Season 78 MVP leapt 7.88 meters to beat the 10-year-old standard set by Henry Dagmil (7.87m) in the 2007 SEA Games held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Ubas achieved the feat during the final trials of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association at Philsports Saturday, days ahead of the final submission of SEA Games entries on June 8.
“I know I can do better if I can get more international exposure for the SEA Games,” said the bronze medalist in decathlon during the 2015 Singapore Games.
It was a big improvement on his previous best of 7.55m and the Cagayan de Oro native has the opportunity to reset the mark in the Thailand Open Track and Field Championship on June 12.
After besting the SEA Games record, Ubas is now torn between competing in the men’s long jump and the 10-event decathlon in the Kuala Lumpur Games on Aug. 19 to 30.
“I have to decide. But I’ll try my best to play both,” said Ubas.