Patafa plans US training for SEAG champs

New Clark City Athletics Stadium. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Philippine track and field will take on a new tack in its Olympic training program by sending all its Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) gold medalists to a training camp in Austin, Texas, where its top athlete, Eric Cray, is currently based.

The news came at the heels of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) elections on Saturday, where Philip Ella Juico was given a fresh mandate as president and businessman Rommel Sytin was named as secretary general.

“Times continue to change rapidly especially with the vast improvement seen in the Filipino athletes recently that, coupled with the advancements in training, science and opportunities, offers a lot of chances for our elite athletes,” said Juico.

Gold winners in the 2019 SEAG like Clinton Bautista (hurdles), Melvin Calano (javelin throw), Aries Toledo (decathlon), Christine Hallasgo (marathon) and Sarah Dequinan (heptathlon) will now get to train with their US-based teammates.