MANILA, Philippines – If plans don’t miscarry, the country will have a couple of more athletes, possibly hurdlers John Cabang Tolentino and Lauren Hoffman, claiming spots in the Paris Olympics this Ju ly.
Tolentino and Hoffman have closed in on spots to the quadrennial games following their strong performances in the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships that concluded over the weekend at the PhilSports Arena.
Both have erased national records, with the 22-year-old Filipino-Spaniard clocking 13.37 seconds in the men’s 110-meter hurdles and smashing the old one of 13.53 he set in July last year in Torrent, Spain; and the 25-year-old Fil-American timing in 13.34 in the women’s 100m hurdles and eclipsing her old mark of 13.41 she had in Durham last month.
Tolentino, a Robotics major back home in Spain, had almost grazed the Olympic standard of 13.27, or just by a tenth of a second while moving to No. 24 from No. 31 in the world Par is rankings out of the 40 slots being staked in his event.
Same with Hoffman, who was well within the top 40 in the 400m hurdles where she had the better chance of making the Paris cut than in the 100m hurdles where she recently rearranged the national mark.
And the grind continues for both, especially with Tolentino, who is scheduled to participat e in four events, one in the gold-standard Seiko meeting in Japan set May 19 and the other three in Spain.
“Hopefully I can make the standard soon,” he said.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Terry Capistrano, for his part, said he had at least seven from track and field who he thinks has a chance to punch a ticket to the French capital.
Apart from pole-vaulter EJ Obiena, who was the first Filipino to claim an Olympic berth in June a year ago, Tolentino and Hoffman, sprinter Kristina Knott, hurdlers Eric Cray and Robyn Brown, and long jumper Janry Uba s as the other athletes Capistrano were referring to.
“I call them se rious, realistic aspirants who are well within the qualification requirements,” said Capistrano.
One hopeful that also may make the cut is 21-year-old Harvard standout Victoria Bossong, whose best time of 2:00.92 in the 800m is eerily closer to the Paris cut clocking of 1:59.30.
The Ivy League Fil-Am runner, however, is in the process of securing a Philippine passport.
MANILA, Philippines – The Creamline Cool Smashers, like everybody else in the Premier Volleyball League, will get the rest that they all deserve following one of the toughest, if not the toughest, conferences in league history.
But there is a certain air in the Cool Smashers that when they return from their much-needed respite, you could be assured they will be back in the hunting grounds, preying on everybody as alpha predators and collecting championships.
“For now, celebrate muna, bawas stress, wala muna isip sa volleyball,” said triumphant Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses late Sunday night, moments after he steered the dynastic franchise to an unmatched league record eighth championship with a two-game finals sweep and spanking of younger sibling Choco Mucho.
“After that, balik trabaho at pagbubutihin pa namin next conference,” he added.
It would also be the start of the proud club’s soul-searching of what it needed to do to keep up with the forever revolving improvement of the league landscape and rival squads eyeing to tear down its dynastic reign.
And it would begin inside every Creamline team member.
“Our losses were our lessons,” said Creamline unquestioned leader and the country’s face of the sport — Alyssa Valdez.
“It was really a difficult conference for us, probably because we’re really trying to figure out kung nasan kami at this point in our lives and our career and as a team din kung ano yung kaya pa naming i-improve.”
“But at the end of the day, we take this win as hope to all of us that no matter what, kahit nasaan kami, kahit ano yung rank namin before coming into the semis, may hope and chance talaga lahat ng bagay, hindi ka naggi-give up,” she added.
There is also the one concerning the big possibility, if not an inevitable occurrence, of veteran setter Jia de Guzman returning to the team after a stint in Japan last year.
“Oo,” said Meneses, when asked if De Guzman is returning to the team. “Pero yung status niya hindi pa namin alam but we will know bago mag start next conference, hopefully makabalik siya.”
“She will always be with Creamline, mabait lang talaga management in allowing opportunities for them abroad, hindi kami humahadlang,” he added.
Creamline could also add some young blood via the historic first rookie draft by the league tentatively set in July when it will pick 12th and last being the champion of this conference.
“Alam ko dulo kami, depende kung sino mapunta sakin,” said Meneses.
If the pieces fit in and the stars align again, there is a chance fate would make a prophet out of reigning Finals MVP Jema Galanza, who blurted out what could be immortal words and portents of things to come for the rest of the field: “Dadagdagan pa namin ng nine, 10, 11 forever.”