Espiritu wants to retrieve Jakarta SEAG gold medal

The Philippine Cycling Federation (PhilCycling) is seeking the help of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) in gaining the Southeast Asian Games gold medal that Victor Espiritu won in road's individual time trial (ITT) 10 years ago in Jakarta, Indonesia. Bert Lina, president of the national federation for cycling, will write POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr., asking the Olympic body to make representations to the SEA Games Federation so that Espiritu will get what is rightfully his all this years, the PhilCycling said Wednesday in a statement. Espiritu finished second to Indonesian Tonton Susanto in the 1997 Jakarta SEA Games' men's ITT, but Susanto was stripped of the gold medal days after the Games when his urine sample was tested positive for banned substances. "Sana po makuha ko na 'yung gold medal na 'yun kasi iyun ang una ko [na gold] sa SEA Games (I hope I can get the gold medal because that would be my first SEA Games gold medal)," said Espiritu, now 32. Espiritu won his second gold medal 10 years after Jakarta when he topped then 40-km points race of track in the Nakhon Ratchasima Games recently. "It is obvious that Victor should get what is due him, what he deserves for his effort," added Lina. What Espiritu displays at his Navotas home now is the silver medal. "Hindi ko na rin pinakawalan 'yung silver medal hangga't hindi binigay sa akin 'yung gold (I won’t let go of the silver medal unless they hand to me my gold medal)," he said. Espiritu, along with Irish Valenzuela, Ronald Gorantes, Warren Davadilla and Lloyd Reynante, accomplished a first in Philippine cycling history when they emerged overall team champion in the Tour of Thailand recently. No other national cycling team has come close to that feat pulled off by the Jomel Lorenzo-coached squad, according to Lina, that they deserve the all accolades that come their way. Seventeen teams, including those from Japan, Germany, Denmark, Slovakia, Iran and The Netherlands, took part in the Tour of Thailand, a category 2.2 race of the Union Cycliste Internationale, which is also part of the Asian Pro Tour. Medalists in international competitions who test positive for drugs are supposed to return their medals, regardless of what color, to event organizers. - GMANews.TV