Janry Ubas—REUTERS FILE PHOTO
Janry Ubas, Southeast Asia’s (SEA) long jump king, was understandably peerless in a local event on Wednesday, but said the real prize he is after is a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The standout from Misamis Oriental is looking at a pair of looming major local events, where he hopes to meet the Olympic-qualifying jump of 8.27 meters. “There will be no rest because I intend to train even during the holidays,” said Ubas.
Ubas will compete in the Philippine National Games (PNG) and the Palarong Pambansa, which the Philippine Sports Commission will stage next month.
“My recent performance showed that I’m ready for the PNG. From there (PNG), the goal is to meet the Olympic standard in qualifying meets,’’ said Ubas, who also won a silver medal in decathlon in the recent Cambodia SEA Games.
Ubas just came off a one-month break after the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where the SEA Games record holder of 8.08 m placed seventh with a 7.80 jump.
And in a recent tournament hosted by CEL Logistics, Ubas logged a 7.75-m jump to finish first despite being bothered by nagging pain. “I have pain in my back, but still I was able to perform. It’s a sign that I will be better in future competitions,’’ said Ubas in Filipino. “We had an offseason after the Asian Games. I only resumed training and will continue to train for the 2024 season.’’
Ubas’ deadline to meet the Olympic qualifying standard is on June 30 next year. So far, only five out of the 32 slots for men’s long jump in the Olympics have been filled, giving Ubas, the world’s No. 48 long jumper, plenty of chances to make it.
“I have this gut feel that I can do it (qualify for the Olympics). With a good jump on a good day, I know I can achieve the standard,’’ said Ubas.
Already qualified for the Paris Games are pole vaulter EJ Obiena, boxer Eumir Marcial and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.