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SEA Games: Cyclist Catalan still individual pursuit king


JAKARTA—Alfie Catalan continued his reign as individual pursuit king of the Southeast Asian Games, winning his third consecutive medal on a velodrome Filipino cyclists are hardly familiar with on Sunday. Catalan, a towering cyclist at six-foot-flat, clocked 4:53.103 in bagging the gold medal. The winner of the same event in Manila in 2005 and in Nakhon Ratchasima in 2007, Catalan, 29, beat Indonesian Warseso Projo (4:56.103) with plenty to spare in the 4,000-meter ride. The victory was made sweeter because Catalan was able to get back at the Indon, whom the Filipino claimed shamed him in Saturday’s qualifiers. John Rene Mier (5:00.90) beat Amir Mustafa (5:01.51) in the race for the bronze also on Sunday. Apryl Eppinger had another second silver in women’s sprint, while the 4,000-meter team pursuit squad of Mier, Catalan, John Paul Morales and Arnold Marcelo settled for the bronze. “Mas masarap itong gold na to dahil apat na buwan lang halos kami nag-training at di ko alam kung sino ang bubulaga sa amin dito," Catalan, an Army Corporal, said. “Gusto ko talagang maipanalo ito kasi ibang hirap ang pinagdaanan ko upang makuha ang gold muli," he added. The track events of the 26th Sea Games are being staged at the Velodrome Rawamangun in east Jakarta. Its homologation of 333.33 meters is smaller than the 400-meter Amoranto track in Quezon City where Filipino cyclists train on. It is only during international competitions when Filipino cyclists get to compete at a differently-homologated track. At times, they have to compete on a fast 250-meter velodrome. Laos does not have a velodrome and dropped the track events when it hosted the games in 2009. Catalan’s gold was the first for cycling in the Indonesia Sea Games. In the 2007 Games, his gold was one of four mints Filipino cyclists brought home. The Philippine cycling team also clinched three silver and six bronze medals. Clinching silver were Joey Barba in men’s downhill of mountain bike, Mark Galedo in men’s individual of road and Apryl Eppinger in women’s 500 meters of track. Bagging bronze medals were Galedo in road’s individual time trial, Nino Surban in mountain bike’s men’s crosscountry, Jan Paul Morales in the 1-kilo, the men’s team time trial squad of road and the men’s squad in team pursuit. - OMG, GMA News

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