Filipino Janry Ubas. PATAFA PHOTO
Philippine bet Janry Ubas scored 5,246 points enroute to the bronze medal in the heptathlon at the 2023 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Kazakhstan last Sunday.
Ubas also erased the national indoor record of 4,565 notched by Jesson Ramil Cid in the 2014 Asian Championships
This is only the second medal for the country in the 19-year history of the Asian Indoors after Eric Cray also bagged the bronze in the 60m in 2016 in Doha, Qatar.
Ubas’ bronze came behind the Japanese pair of Yuma Maruyama (5,801 points) and Keisuke Okuda (5,497 points), who grabbed the gold and silver medals respectively in the said event.
The 29-year old native of Misamis Oriental tallied the lone medal by the lean Philippine team that missed pole vaulter and Asian record holder EJ Obiena due to logistical problems.
Ubas also set a new Philippine mark in the long jump registering a distance of 7.66 meters in the event.
“He put up a brave stand and showcased the Filipino’s fighting heart in the final event—the 1000-meter run—despite an injury, enabling him to secure points necessary to capture a podium finish,” Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Terry Capistrano said.