Soguilon joins SEA Games Athletics Competitions

Traditionally, the country has never fared well in the men’s sprint events in the Southeast Asian Games.

That will change in the coming SEA Games when De La Salle University’s Ralph Soguilon leads a crack team of male sprinters in the charge to win a gold medal; something that has never been achieved in the history of the country’s participation in the SEA Games.

Soguilon, who unofficially twice broke the 20-year-old record of Isidro del Prado in the 200 meters, will be gunning for the title of SEAG sprint king when he competes in the 100, 200 and 400 meters in the coming SEA Games to be held here in Manila.

Soguilon, an Electronics and Communications Engineering student of La Salle, has a good chance to medal especially in the 200 meters. He will also anchor the now-formidable RP men’s sprint team, which placed a fighting fourth in the last Vietnam SEA Games.

Traditionally, the country doesn’t even compete in the 4x100 meter relays for men because we never win medals in the event. That changed during in the Vietnam SEA Games when the country placed fourth. The team actually led up until the third runner but eventually lost a “photo finish.”

The country’s other powerful sprinters are Arnold Villarube, Alex Gabito, Albert Salcedo and long jumper Henry Dagmil.

Even RP’s training director for the SEA Games Michael Keon said he would be very happy if a Filipino finally wins a sprint gold in the coming SEA Games. It will be a singular achievement that has never yet been attained even during the glory days of Gintong Alay.

Filipinas like Lydia de Vega, Elma Muros and Mona Solaiman have won honors for the country in sprint events. But no Filipino has ever won a sprint gold medal in the SEA Games.

Soguilon first broke the 21.44 record of Del Prado in the 200 meters in this year’s UAAP competition by clocking 21.43. But because there was no wind gauge, his time was not recorded into the books. He clocked 21.26 in the Taiwan Open last May but his record was also not recognized because it was wind-aided.

source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=sports04_sept08_2005