Aries Toledo, Sarah Dequinan eye glorious finish in their SEA Games story this year

MANILA, Philippines—Battered and hurt but Aries Toledo and Sarah Dequinan will be giving everything they have when they take on all comers at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

Toledo, a silver medalist in decathlon during the 2022 edition of the regional meet, and Dequinan, also a runner-up in the distaff side, traced practically the same path heading out of Vietnam.

Their stories continue to intertwine with just a few days to go before the Phnom Penh festivities.

Both athletics aces clocked in their personal career-high in points, impressing observers in the process. Those bests, however, still fell short of the gold.

Now, however, with just a few days left before the much-anticipated biennial event, both athletes are gunning for the gold–hurt hamstrings notwithstanding.

“Back in September, I trained for the military and the Philippine Navy and I graduated just last February. We had an event in Ilagan but my hamstring was damaged so I couldn’t play and perform. Now, though, I told myself that the National Open shouldn’t be an excuse for me not to compete in the SEA Games.” said Toledo, wiping his sweat after an early morning practice at Philsports Complex.

“We’re at a hundred percent now but really, I went through a lot of hardships before I could take back my strength.”

The same could be said for Dequinan, a mainstay for University of Santo Tomas in her collegiate days.

“The training is good so far but in terms of conditioning, I’m not completely okay. My PT (physical therapist) told me that I have a mild strain in my left hamstring. I couldn’t train hurdles and long jumps much for now so that’s what I’m fighting right now,” she said.

“Even if we say it’s just ‘mild,’ if I try to think it’s okay, the muscle is still hard to move so it’s hard to execute,” she added.

Despite the nagging injuries, both competitors are dead-set in polishing their shine in the SEA Games, receiving clearances to compete in Cambodia.

PERSONAL RECORDS NOT ENOUGH

Competing in an international event is pressuring in itself. However, if you are either Toledo or Dequinan, that pressure cranks up tenfold.

The reason is simple. For Toledo, he clocked in his SEA Games-best 7,469 last year; his most compared to his 2017 (7,433) and 2019 (7,033.)

For the upcoming SEA Games, his quest is to break his personal record.

“Totally, that’s my aim. Even if I don’t get the gold, silver or bronze, my aim is to break my own record. Although, of course, I need to get the gold but the quest is still there [record].”

Getting there, however, will not be easy for Toledo, who will be running with limited training under his belt, especially when compared to last year.

“I’m more comfortable and confident in our training last year because I was fully trained. Now, I only got two months. Although I did not get loose in these two months, I will continue to try and compete properly,” he said.

Dequinan, on the other hand, was also the master of her own race in Vietnam, tallying a personal-best 5,381 points, decorating the national colors with a touch of silver.

And as she aims for gold this time, she wants a different mental approach from last year.

“Last year was nerve-wracking. I was pressured then because I got gold in 2019 and people were thinking I might get gold again. I carried that in Vietnam. I need to forget that. It’s [a lot of pressure] but I need to leave that [expectation] behind. It’s making me nervous [so] I refresh my mind, telling myself that I love this event,” she said.

The UST alumni registered 5,101 in 2019, when the country hosted the SEA Games, to rule her event.

For both competitors to gain a fairytale ending, however, there needs to be an antagonist and they know exactly who to focus their eyes on in the competition.

HEROES AND VILLAINS

If Toledo and Dequinan are the Philippines’ Superman and Superwoman in the field, they, of course, have their Kryptonites to match.

For decathlon sensation Toledo, it’s Thailand’s Suttisak Singkhon, the gold medalist in Vietnam.

“I will give my best to try and take gold again and I also need to get back at my rival [from] Thailand. I need to bounce back against him,” he said.

Singkhon literally zoomed past the Philippines’ representative in the field and on paper, with 7,603 points, 134 up on Toledo.

Turn a page over and you would see the same story being written for Dequinan, who was defeated by her own villain also from Vietnam, Nguyen Linh Na—a familiar nemesis.

“I faced [Nguyen] in 2019 at the Thailand Open, which was also my first international event. I ended up at third; it was Malaysia, Vietnam and us so Vietnam was still ahead. In the 2022 SEA Games, she was there again and it was neck-and-neck,” recalled Dequinan.

“I know their strongest event is my weakness, which is more on running so there’s pressure there.”

Nguyen ended up with 5,415 points for Vietnam with Dequinan finishing just 34 points behind, further heightening both competitors rivalry en route to Cambodia.

With just a few days left before the multi-sporting event, Toledo and Dequinan will hope to write a glorious chapter in their continuing story.

The two heroes will be wearing their hearts on their sleeves—and the Philippine flag across their chests in a few days. They are hurt and battered, yes, but there is a Philippine saying that swears their bruises are a prelude to glory.

“Ganiyan talaga ang bida, nagpapabubog sa una.”

In Cambodia, Toledo and Dequinan will try to prove that right.

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Inquirer’s special coverage of the Cambodia SEA Games 2023.