Sunset in Paradise

CHAPTER 16 (Stranded Souls)

*Reina*

It was another eventful month for us, competing for the first time in the 31st Seagame, and we really made it remarkably outstanding.

We couldn't contain ourselves when we finished our respective events. Our Phoenix Siklab team, on behalf of co-Filo athletes, made a good fight in Athletics.

In running men's division events, we failed to make it to the semi-finals, but we advanced in 110 hurdles, Benny got the NR (national record) of 13.78 and bagged his first-ever gold. While our co-Filo athletes and fellow booth camp attendees bagged the bronze in 4 x 100 m and silver in 4 x 400 m.

In jumping events, Ash dominated them with a good mark of 2. 21 m in his PB or personal best winning his gold while Archie finished his rank in bronze in the pole vault, with no remorse because he lost to the season's best pole vaulter and we were glad he still made it to the podium. Casper also fell short in the long jump taking his record of 7.89 m and finishing his 3rd rank. JC also fell too short in his discus throw scoring 50. 44 m but still a win-win since he made it to 3rd.

Devlin proved himself again that he is the toughest and the coolest Iron God winning his two events, he finished in 15.87 m bagging the rank for silver in the triple jump and gold with 7603 pts. for the decathlon.

While I bested myself in my current record and rank. I landed my first podium winning gold in 100 m at 11.60 and silver in 200 m finishing at 23.26. We also fell 2nd rank in the 4 x 100 m relay and gold in 4 x 200 with my fellow teammates and friends, Tanya, Sera and Zoey Castañeda with 44.39 and bronze in the mixed relay with 3.31. 53 time.

When we got home, we were greeted with great courtesy by the PATAFA who gave us recognition for the honor that we gave to the country but also for the perseverance that we delivered throughout the long week of Athletics events.

Devlin, Ash and I received a plaque and the certificate that said we are the promising athletes of the year. Though kinda overwhelmed and still dazed by the turn of events, this made us really proud of ourselves.

After a short break, my faculty gave me an exemption for the term 2 final exam on the 4th to 9th of July but I still took it, even though I only had 2 days to review, I just hoped that I didn't fail. Then we set off for another competition.

Sadly, among our pioneer team members, Casper and Archie didn't make it, because of their school and other conflicts. We just respected their decision not to come with us. We landed in Hayward Field, Eugene Oregon, as invitationals and participated in World Championships. Unfortunately, we didn't advance to the semi-finals, in individual events but we were happy for our fellow filo-athlete, EJ Obiena who finished his podium in third.

We were bound for another invitational, in Taiwan but the conflict with mainland China restricted and denied our visa. So we ended up spending our week in training, with the supervision of American conditioning coach, Glenn Marshall because Coach Francis had an emergency and went home straight to the Philippines.

With Manager Justin and Coach Guilford, we pushed through to our next sports meeting, in AUAC, competing for the Iron League Asian tour, the first-ever annual series of elite track and field athletic university competitions, comprising 6 of the best invitational athletic meetings. A mini version of Diamond League but the difference is, that the participants/athletes were composed of students from all over Asia. The series also runs for 5 and a half months like in Diamond, but the participating countries are limited to Asia only.

Because it was fresh and the mechanics were a bit confusing from the recent events, many countries didn't participate.

But since it was not our first time in AUAC, we still competed and made it in three meets out of six from the fifth to the twenty-eighth of August.