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Patafa to send self-funded team to Asian meet


The Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) will be sending a delegation to the 18th Asian Athletics Championships set on Nov. 10-14 in Guangzhou, China even without the support of the Philippine Sports Commission. Patafa president Go Teng Kok said that it will be a shame for the country if it could not send a delegation since the Philippines is “a member in good standing and has a rich tradition" in the tournament. The PSC under chairman Harry Angping has turned down the request of Patafa to field in a 17-man contingent, reiterating his earlier his stand against sending Southeast Asian Games-bound athletes to foreign competitions so close to the December SEAG in Laos. “We will send six athletes to the Championships. The Patafa will be shouldering the athletes’ airfare because it is not proper if the country skips the event, being a member in good standing and one of the driving force in the creation of the event," explained Go. The Philippines was the site of the inaugural Asian Athletics Championships in 1973, holding it at the Marikina Sports Center. The country hosted the event two more times in 1993 and 2003. Tapped to carry the country’s cudgels in the 2009 Asian Championships are Olympian Marestella Torres, Julius Nierras, Rene Herrera, Danilo Fresnido, Michael Embuedo and Josie Villarito.

Marestella Torres
Long jump queen Torres will see action in her pet event, Nierras will vie in the 400m run, Herrera will compete in the 3000m steeplechase, Fresnido and Villarito will play in the javelin, and Embuedo will take part in the 20-K Walkathon. “Torres, Nierras and Herrera are our SEA Games gold medalists in 2007 and I expect them to try and make the country proud," said Go who also is one of five vice presidents of the Asian Athletic Association. Torres will be making a comeback after missing the 2007 edition held in Amman, Jordan to compete in the World Championships in that year. She has won two medals in the Asian tilt, a bronze in 2002 and a silver 2005, and is expected to be a contender again in women’s long jump. The Philippines’ other SEA Games gold medalists, long jumper Henry Dagmil and hammer thrower Arniel Ferrera, were supposed to join the event but begged off since they have yet to reach their top shape. “This (Asian championships) is a final tune-up for our athletes so I really expect them to be at their best and beat rivals from Southeast Asia," said Go. The country so far has won 35 a total of medals in the said competition since 1973 (10 gold, 10 silver and 15 bronze) with the legendary Lydia De Vega-Mercado, Asia's fastest woman, accounting for four gold medals in the sprints in 1983 and 1987. - GMANews.TV
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