SEA Games: PHL celebrates first sprint double with an American twist

SINGAPORE - The Philippines celebrated a first ever sprint-double at the Southeast Asian Games on Tuesday with the success cheered across the country as well as in Texas and California.

 

Texas-based Eric Shauwn Cray blitzed the field to win the men's race in a national record and personal best time of 10.25 seconds before 17-year-old Kayla Anise Richardson edged the women's in 11.76 after a nerve-jangling photo finish.

 

Richardson endured an anxious wait before confirmation came through on the Singapore National Stadium big screen that she had just chased down and passed Thailand's Tassaporn Wannakit.

 

"I'm so amazed that was what I came here to do," the Californian-born sprinter told reporters.

 

"I'm glad I was able to get it done. This is my first time here so I'm younger than most of these girls... I'm just really proud of myself to represent my country.

 

Both Richardson and Cray have Filipino mothers, American accents and a burning desire to take more SEA Games gold medals back to the Philippines.


 

 

Cray, 26, tapped the banner on his vest before the race and quickly sought out a flag from the crowd upon victory and talked of his pride at representing the country of his birth.

 

"My mother is a Filipino, she was born and raised in the Philippines, we lived in the Philippines for a while before moving back to the States when I was around three or four," he said.

 

"I now train in Texas with Davian Clarke, the three-times Olympian from Jamaica in the 400 meters, and I'm just excited to get to that record."

 

Richardson's experience of the former Spanish colony who gained independence from the United States in 1946 was rather more limited.

 

"I've been there once for two weeks, that's it," she said.

 

Richardson said her mother and grandparents had pestered her repeatedly about racing for the Asian nation and she was "hopeful" that her success could inspire more Americans of Filipino heritage to compete for the country.


 

 

Another Filipino-American, Caleb Stuart, celebrated gold in the men's hammer on Tuesday morning.

 

"Philippines is coming up," Richardson said.

 

Richardson, who prepared for the meet with high-school training and said she had coped well with the unfamiliar Southeast Asian humidity, will return to the track on Wednesday when she goes in the heats for the 200m.

 

Cray is also back in action on the same day when he targets a second gold in the 400 meter hurdles and will also compete in both relay events.

 

Last month, Cray became the first Filipino to book a spot at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics after bettering the 400m hurdle qualifying mark in a meet in Los Angeles.

 

"Looking forward to getting the gold medal again," Cray said before departing with a "Thank-y'all" to reporters.  — Reuters