Members of the Philippine 4×100 relay men’s team (Eric Cray, Anfernee Lopena, Archand Christian Bagsit and Anthony Beram) after clocking 39.13 seconds to clinch the bronze medal in the 29th Southeast Asian Games athletics competition Friday at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SEA GAMES POOL
KUALA LUMPUR — The Philippines’ athletics gold machine ground to a halt and collected four bronzes by day-end Friday.
The men’s and women’s 4X400-meter relay teams, counted upon to snare golds, faltered in the face of Thailand and Vietnam powerhouses at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Olympian Marestella Torres-Sunang could only come up with a bronze in women’s long jump, leaping to 5.45 meters to finish third behind Vietnam’s Bui Thi Thu Thao (6.48m) and Indonesia’s Maria Natalia Londa (6.47).
Melvin Calano barely managed to make the podium in men’s javelin after a 65.94m effort, way behind the 71.49m gold medal throw of Thai Jantra Peerachet. Indonesia’s And Hafiz was second with 69.30m
Yet the big letdown was the relay teams which were powered by Fil-American athletes.
Two-time champ here Trenten Anthony Beram, Eric Cray, Anfernee Lopena and Archand Bagsit clocked 39.11 seconds to place third behind Thailand (38.90) and Indonesia (39.05).
Cray, who had won gold in 400-meter hurdles and 100m silver, suffered a “turfed toe” during the relay finals.
He said he’s not sure if he can run in the 4X100m on Saturday.
“I could hardly pass the baton,” said Cray who was third runner before Beram anchored to the finish.
But their time was good enough to rewrite the national mark of 39.96 established in 2017 in Hong Intercity Championship
Members of the Philippine 4×100 relay women’s team after clocking 44.88 seconds to clinch the bronze medal in the 29th Southeast Asian Games athletics competition Friday at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SEA GAMES POOL
Kayla and Kyla Richardson, Zion Corrales and Eloisa Luzon settled for bronze in their event with a time of 44.81 seconds. Vietnam timed 43.88 seconds and Thailand 44.62 seconds to take gold and silver, respectively.
Like their men’s counterparts, the women’s relay team also posted a new PH record, erasing the 45.29 seconds of the 1991 SEA Games team that was led by no less than Lydia de Vega.