RP long-jumper Dagmil finishes below expectations

MANILA, Philippines – Henry Dagmil only planned to break his own record knowing the kind of competition there would be in the Beijing Olympics. Not only did he fail to do that Saturday, the first-time Olympic long-jumper fared way below expectations as well. Dagmil, who was saddled with an injury weeks before the tournament, cleared 7.58m, which was good for only 34th place in a field of 38 finishers. Dagmil’s best jump was recorded at 7.99m, the distance he covered in a Malaysian tournament in June that earned him the Philippine athletics federation’s nod for an Olympic berth. “Maganda ang kundisyon sa warmup pero pag laban na, nagbabago. Ganun ang nangyari sa akin," Dagmil said. “Yung talon ay worst ko in recent years. Kung eight meters sana, baka pumasok. Kung 8.20 naman, laban na. Sayang," added Dagmil, who fought off tears while being interview by mediamen. The top 12 in the qualifiers entered the final round and had Dagmil equaled his personal-best, he would’ve made it at 10th place. Louis Tsatoumas of Greece registered 8.27m to top the qualifying round. – GMANews.TV