When my friend Jeric asked me to join the 1st Environmental Law Society of the Ateneo (ELSA) Amazing Race, I was awestruck at the top cash prize – Php 12,000.00. The fact that the race rules disallowed the use of private cars, guides, support crews and stipulated a limited fare allowance galvanized my positive decision. Electronic gadgets, cellphones and iPad’s included, were strictly prohibited. The huge cash prize juxtaposed with “four Metro Manila cities” sounded daunting.
“Challenge accepted!” I told myself, quoting the iconic Barney Stinson.
Back in our freshman year in college, James and I (plus some of our track & field and volleyball friends) joined a similarly patterned race, albeit at a far lesser scale. Also in that year, I served as part of another friend’s support crew for the AXN Adventure Race. Those two races, as well as my commuting street smarts and track & field background, pretty much summed up my insufficient Amazing Race curriculum vitae.
Although I expected a fairly difficult course, little did I know that we were in for a prolonged battle of wits, endurance, quick-thinking, and patience.
We assembled in Rockwell for registration. Thinking of a team name proved to be a hard task, with options like “Pining Garcia,” “Ping Guerrero” (a Joe Baricaua brainchild), and “Makati Brief Co.” (yet another Joe invention) meriting quick dismissals. We settled for the innocous “Team Andrei Blancia,” as a tribute to the self-descirbed “ultimate flaker” himself.
Ample supplies of Gatorade and mineral water were distributed, as our bags were checked for prohibited items. We were introduced to our designated “runners,” personnel from ELSA who observed our adherence to the strict rules. After a few words from the race organizers, the game was on.
As a 15-year old, Cartwright was diagnosed with cancer. Her right leg had to be amputated from above the knee. The Australian learned how to walk with a prosthesis. Afterwards, Cartwright began to run competitively, using a carbon fiber leg similar to that of the Blade Runner, Oscar Pistorius.
Since then, she has proudly competed for Australia at the Beijing Paralympics and various international events. In Beijing, she qualified for the 100m (T42) final, finishing in 6th place (18.92s). The young Aussie had a breakout 2011 season, where she rewrote her old long jump (F42) world record to 4.19m at the IPC Athletics World Championships. She also took the 100m dash (T42) crown, stopping the clock in 16.46s.
The London Olympic Games is just a few months away. Cartwright is a hands down favorite. With all the challenges she has faced – and the successes that she achieved – Kelly Cartwright is an inspiration to us all.
“My one piece of advice is just never to give up. You just have to keep going, no matter how tough life is.” – Kelly Cartwright
It’s surreal to think that only a month ago, I actually thought about retiring from the hurdles once and for all. It was just too time-consuming, training for the 110 high. The fact that I work out alone multiplies the training difficulty a hundred fold. I could not bear the thought of another lonely hurdling session at the track, surrounded by hordes of faceless joggers. Besides, there aren’t that many local competitions catering to post-University athletes. At 26 years old and an athletics nobody, it’s not like I’m on the fast track to Olympic glory.
Simply put, there is no future for me in the hurdles.
After months of contemplation, I felt resigned to a life without the 1.067m high barriers. It was like a big rock was lifted from my back. Gone were the pressures of being a self-coached, solitary athlete. Although I planned to continue competing in the sprints (to stay fit and to maintain my competitive edge), such a move would have constituted a life-changing decision.
Thankfully, I did not yield.
It was due to the prodding of my former high school teammate, Zed Paz, and a bad ass dose of extrinsic motivation. He was at the nascent stages of a comeback himself. Zed needed a training buddy. Since I was, technically, still preparing for the sprints (and the ABL season), I tagged along. The turning point came while watching UAAP 74 Athletics. The fires of passion were re-ignited, in a strange twist of deja vu.
A few days after the conclusion of the meet, I went back to serious hurdles training. Even if I hadn’t trained over the hurdles in a month and a half, I was in tip-top shape, thanks to my no-nonsense conditioning regimen. Getting back in prime hurdling condition has been a breeze.
The familiar faces on the track did wonders to my motivation and focus. In the three weeks I’ve been training for the hurdles, not once did I feel the discouraging, stifling loneliness so prevalent last season. Once a week, I get to train within a stone’s thrown from my friends from the PPVC, Zed, the HyperSports crowd, and my high school coach. It was refreshing to have fellow athletes to talk to, aside from my imaginary friends. The difference in one’s temperament and outlook is astonishing.
In the past weeks, I’ve progressed dramatically. My confidence is at an all-time high. I’m dead set on competing at this year’s National Championships and doing well – with a little help from my friends.
While at the Ayala MRT station a few weeks back, I heard snippets of a familiar line: “I want to reach out and touch the flame, where the streets have no name.” The song was none other than U2′s “Where The Streets Have No Name.”
Shrugging off the humidity-induced discomfort, I felt an instant jolt of energy. The song’s upbeat tempo and uplifting aura made me want to change into my track clothes and sprint/hurdle all the way to Ultra!
The 2004 Athens Olympic Champion rewrote his 400m indoor hurdles record in France yesterday. The evergreen Sanchez ran an impressive 48.78s to better his previous mark of 49.25s.
He demolished the field as he streaked to an early lead. The American-born hurdler was the first to cut to the inner lane, as his shell-shocked opponents trailed a few meters behind.
To those of you thinking that I’ve made a typographical error in saying “400m indoor hurdles,” think again. Sanchez is the most prestigious name in the rarely run discipline. With his impeccable hurdling pedigree and fearlessness, Sanchez is tailor-made for the event.
Athletics is a physically taxing event. Despite sustaining injuries in the past few years, it’s good to see the 34-year old Sanchez running faster. To the young guns of the intermediate hurdles, watch out for Felix Sanchez come Olympics time.
In the first clash between Liu Xiang (刘翔) and Dayron Robles since the controversial 110m high hurdle final in Daegu, the 2004 Olympic Champion ran roughshod over the opposition. From the gun to the tape, Liu was unchallenged. Even the fast-starting Robles was behind by half a stride right out of the blocks, despite having a lightning quick reaction time of 0.009s compared to Liu’s 0.154. Only Dexter Faulk over in lane 1 was fast enough match Liu’s pace.
In usual Liu fashion, he ran a clean race. Whereas the erratic Robles clipped the final barrier.
The former world record holder stopped the clock in 7.41s, way faster than his 7.55s season’s best from 2011. His time in the final was one-hundredth of a second faster than his previous best of 7.42s from 2007. Robles ran a season’s best of 7.50s.
The American troika of Faulk, Kevin Craddock and Jeff Porter all registered identical times of 7.54s, but finished in the aforesaid order following a closer inspection of the photo finish tape. Aries Merritt was a close sixth with 7.55s.
It feels great seeing my idol win! His post-race celebration – devoid of bravado and chest-thumping – was characteristic of Liu!
“I still feel I didn’t do very well over the first two hurdles and there is work to be done there,” said Liu Xiang in an IAAF article. “I am excited about the rest of the year now.” It’s important to note that prior to 2011, Liu had an 8-step approach to the first hurdles. Considering the fact that he had run faster than his 2007 best, the prospects for this March’s World Indoor Championships look bright – and astoundingly fast.
I’m not discounting Robles just yet. After all, the 2008 Olympic Champion owns the second-fastest 60m hurdles time in history (7.33s).
Screenshot from CCTV
I have to commend the organizers for a well-thought out move. To prevent a probable clash of arms between the two hurdling titans, the quick-thinking Brits placed Aries Merritt right in the middle of the two!
The young Spaniard is a fast-rising sprinting talent in her home nation. Still only 23-years old, García has had considerable international experience. In 2008, she competed at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, clocking 24.67s in the heats of the 200m dash and 12.03s in the century dash.
A year later after her debut on the world stage, García lowered her 200m dash personal best to 23.87s. The versatile Spanish sprinter has personal bests of 11.75s (2010) and 56.86s (2011) in the 100m and 200m, respectively.
Her most memorable international moment to date came during the European Championships in Barcelona. García, together with Ana Torrijos, Digna Luz Murillo, and Amparo María Cotán, set a new Spanish national record in the 4x100m relay final.
The absence of the team’s two UAAP veterans sapped our offensive and defensive potency. The resurgent Merrill Lazo opted to rest his bum knee, leaving a gaping a hole in the rotation. Ryan Agas’ taxing schedule as a medical student left him unavailable for last week’s game. If Merrill is the team’s heart, Ryan is its soul. We were left with a depleted lineup, with Choi Esguerra and Gino Magat unable to play.
Surprisingly, we were in contention for the better part of the game. Adi Dimaliwat stepped up massively, scoring 17 big points on 41.2% shooting. Paolo Rosales, chipped in 15 valuable points thanks to his daredevil fastbreak plays. Yayo Puno, the Defensive Player of the Year back in 2009, registered his first double-double in the season, had a herculean game. Puno grabbed a massive game-high 16 rebounds, on top of 12 points, 4 steals and 2 blocks.
Coming into the final quarter, AHS 4H 2003′s lead never went beyond 6 points. Midway into the fourth quarter, however, foul trouble left our frontline severely undermanned. From then on, the opposing team went on a scoring rampage.
When the final buzzer sounded, we were buried under a humiliating 18 point lead, thanks to our fourth quarter collapse.
This is crazy. Moments after knocking out his Argentinean opponent in the 10th round, Filipino Johnriel Casimero saw himself at the middle of a ravenous, boxing-mad mob. The newly-minted interim IBF light-flyweight titlist’s entourage, including his promoter, suffered various head injuries as a result of the hailstorm of chairs, bottles and thrown fists.
It turned out that Luis Lazarte, the losing hometown bet, even threatened the referee, which was caught on tape; thus, prompting the IBF to ban the 40-year old boxer. The Philippines has recalled its ambassador to Argentina and filed a diplomatic protest over the incident.
I first took notice of Marzia Caravelli at the run-up prior to the 2011 Daegu World Championships. In this day and age of professional athletes, the Italian sprint hurdler stands out because she has a full-time job and still manages to excel. According to an IAAF article, the Italian “works as a teacher for deaf children and trains only during the evening.”
Photo from Marzia Caravelli
A late bloomer, won all her four national titles after she turned twenty-eight years old! The Italian 200m dash and 100m hurdles champion won her first continental medal at the 2011 European Team Championships, stopping the clock in 13.10s to place third overall. A month later, Caravelli ran an impressive 13.01s – twice.
To cap off her breakout 2011 season, Caravelli made her debut at the world stage in Daegu, finishing 26th in qualifying. Marzia eventually set a new Italian record in May 2012. In an athletics competition in France, Caravelli stopped the clock in 12.85s. She bettered the old record by an astouding twelve-hundredths of a second!
Marzia’s unique balancing act shows that elite sports and full-time employment are not mutually exclusive.
1. How did you get started with athletics?
When I was 14 I was practicing Rhythmic Gymnastics. But in one year I became too tall [to] enter the hoop and to bend and twist my body, so I decided to start with athletics, because my sister was already practicing athletics. I went with her a few times, and then [I learned to] love [athletics].
2. What’s the most memorable moment of your athletics career?
When I reach[ed] qualifications for World Championship, two years [after] my ex coach told me I [won't have a] future in athletics. And when I was third in the European Athletic Team championship, [the] same year!
3. What’s your life-long dream?
An Olympic participation, and then when I will finish my athletics career to find a job that gives me the same excitement of athletics.
4. Let’s lighten up a bit! What would you rather wear and why? Short shorts or tights?
I used to train really dressed a lot! But while competing absolutely short shorts! I need to [set] my legs free!
5. How do you manage to balance your athletics training with a full-time job?
I know I have not [much] time to train because I have to work. I know that my colleagues have all day to train and all [the] time to live as professional athletes. This makes me very angry!
Finally I’ve learned to turn that anger into strength of will. And so my two daily hours of training are intense, because I am hungry of demonstrating that all of them were wrong with me. But the truth is that my super-coach can manage the time we have in the best way, and in those two hours he is able to plan and make me do everything (or almost) I need. And until now, we have been right!
[And] last, if you add that I do a job I like, this also helps!
6. What’s your top three pump-up songs of all-time?
I don’t listen to music when I warm up or run, I prefer to be in contact with the world near me.
7. If you could spend the rest of your days at any place in the world, which would you choose?
Italy, in the south near the sea! I think I couldn’t give up our food!!
8. Name three things you can’t live without.
Pasta, Coffee and Cell phone
9. Who inspires you?
Do you Know The Ugly Duckling story?!
10. If you weren’t a hurdler, you’d be a: Sign Language Interpreter…ops, but I am!
Culled from my old Multiply account. View the original post here.
Missing the 1st day of the UAAP was out of the question. Even if I did not have leave credits yet, I bravely asked my new boss for permission to leave work early, just to watch my old teammates compete. The 1st day harvest was bountiful, with the team bagging 3 golds, a silver and a bronze medal.
It was refreshingly nostalgic to see my old training buddies, Jotham Manlapaz and Mike Mendoza, in action again. Jots has improved a lot. He starts a lot faster and he snaps his lead leg quicker than the last time I saw him. Mike was his usual cool self: composed yet intense.
Seeing the other hurdlers run, it was obvious that Mike was in a league of his own. His form was just too fluid and his speed too overwhelming for his competitors. Mike was my hands down choice for this year’s gold.
But of course, my two sets of eyes were focused on Jots – my friend and former training partner. Amongst our hurdling group, I felt the closest to the big guy (literally, since I always hitched with him going home!). He was the closest I had to a protege. His faith in my hurdling and my qualities as an athlete was heartwarming. And the respect was mutual. Amidst my then volatile temperament, I looked up to my God-fearing training buddy’s calm demeanor and firm Faith. When he broke the 16-second barrier months before the UAAP, I felt ecstatic. I wanted him to win a medal, to go out with a bang.
But fate it seems, had other plans.
My friend clipped the 3rd hurdle with his trail leg, and fell badly on the track. He was out of the race. I could almost feel his pain and disappointment when I saw him lying face down on the orange track. If life really did have a rewind button, I would’ve clicked it in an attempt to reverse the day’s tragic outcome.
For the next 10 or so seconds of the race, I did not know where to look. On one side of the track, Mike was pulling away from the field. On the other, Jots was immobile. As I saw Mike raise his arms at the finish line, I immediately went to the bleachers near the 30m mark to have a closer look at things.
To my relief, both of Jots’ limbs were intact. Thank heavens, he didn’t fracture any bone (he had torn his hip flexor or some other hip muscle). But the moment he tried to stood up, I heard a scream of pain. It was obvious that my friend’s last UAAP had ended prematurely.
Photo from Karla Lim
It broke my heart seeing him lying on the track in pain and in tears. Why did it have to happen to him of all people? Then again, injuries are a part of sport. That’s just the way things go when you’re an athlete.
To be honest, I didn’t know what to say once I finally made my way to the track. I know for a fact that no words could possibly soothe the frustration that he was feeling. That battle is an inner struggle one has to face – alone.
We visited Jots at the hospital the evening after the accident. He was his usual bubbly self, albeit with a faint trace of gloom. He dealt with the abrupt and unwanted ending not with anger, but with faith. “Our job thereafter is to make sense of what happened and to learn, move on, and be someone better,” said Jotham. “Everything is planned out by Him above.”
Amidst the obvious physical and emotional pain, I’ve never seen a happier, more content man.
The middle distance runner is at the forefront of British athletics hopes in the upcoming London Olympics. At the Daegu World Championships last August, the aptly-named England stormed from seventh place all the way to second place to clinch the 1,500m run silver!
A victorious Hannah England at the Daegu World Championships (Photo from Standard.Co.Uk)
This was her first ever major international medal – in her maiden appearance at the prestigious world stage.
Prior to Daegu, England’s best performance in a major meet was tenth at the 2010 European Championships. England had a stellar 2011 season, shaving off 3 seconds to run a lifetime’s best of 4:01.89. In a span of five years, the 24-year old improved her personal best by 16 seconds.
The Oxford-born athlete is the daughter of a geophysicist. She attended Birmingham University to take up biochemistry. According her Wiki profile, she spent a year in Florida State Univeristy where she won NCAA titles in the 1,500m run and the Mile.
I felt tense watching from the stands. Perhaps it was due to the cold early evening air or the glare of the floodlights. Sheltered from the steadily falling rain by my trusty umbrella, I waited for the men’s 4x400m relay to start.
The grueling event has been the waterloo of Ateneo athletics. Ever since the Ateneo joined the UAAP, it has only won two bronzes – in the mid-80′s and the mid-2000′s – amidst a slew of heartbreaking close shaves with the podium. Despite the resurgence in Ateneo sprinting, the other schools stamped its dominance in the quarter-mile.
Maki de Jesus, a bemedalled former juniors standout, had a gutsy start. Running in the seventh lane, the rookie overtook the athlete in lane eight by a good five meters, as the first runner from powerhouse FEU streaked to an early lead. From then on, it was a battle for second place behind the dominant Morayta quartet.
The first baton exchange was executed with fine precision. Joel Magturo, another greenhorn, timed his take-off perfectly with the visibly exhausted de Jesus. The young Joel, a finalist in the 100m dash, held on to fourth place. Three schools – DLSU, UE, UST and Ateneo – were locked in a fierce tactical battle.
Carlos Soriano ran a gutsy third leg. He positioned himself well in the first 200m, conserving precious speed and strength by lurking behind the leading sprinters. As soon as the four-man peleton hit the last bend, Soriano turned on his afterburners. The back-to-back 100m dash champion overtook the early leaders to snatch second place coming into the final lap.
I screamed like a man possessed at Soy’s final burst of speed. Never has an Ateneo team won silver in the 4x400m relay. There and then, I felt my eyes blur as I cheered my lungs out.
Then came JP Azcueta’s anchor leg. From the stands, I saw the determined expression on his face. He took off life a bullet, maintaining the team’s second place position. Coming into the homestretch, I could feel the silver medal coming into fruition.
The dream silver wasn’t meant to be.
DLSU’s Patrick Unso, a bum stomach notwithstanding, ran a superb final 50m to snatch second place. UE’s last runner came hurtling towards the finish, threatening to overtake the decelerating Azcueta. But JP clung on to Ateneo’s first 4x400m medal in six years. After missing out on the 4x100m relay podium; Maki, Joel, Soy and JP struck back with a hard fought, well-deserved bronze. It was an exhilarating race – a scintillating, nerve-wracking experience for the spectator and an unforgettable experience to those who were victorious.
As soon as the JP crossed the finish line, he fell on his knees, burying his face in his hands. In the four days that I’ve watched my former teammate compete, he always seemed to linger at that very spot after every race. This time around, there wasn’t a single trace of disappointment on the grizzled veteran’s rain-soaked face. Instead, JP cried tears of joy, as he took in the wondrously triumphant moment.
There’s a line from “Chariots of Fire” aptly describing the quarter-miler as someone who digs deep. Those four young men ran their hearts out, mustering every strand of willpower possible. Years from now, people probably won’t remember who won the medals, much less the actual results. In the long run, what endures is the experience of giving it your all and leaving everything on the playing field.
Maki, JP, Joel and Soy posing with their medals (Photo from JP Azcueta)
The first minutes of the game started fairly well. Despite the the staggering height advantage of Team Sarmiento, thanks to the 6’5 former Blue Eagle standout Martin Quimson, we powered on to an early three point lead as Merrill Lazo made timely drop passes to the lurking Yayo Puno. Our undersized front line and speedy guards played had the quick first step.
In the land of the giants. (Photos from Jeric Angeles)
Midway into the first quarter, the bleeding started. Despite the heroics of Lazo and Puno, our offense floundered. The tall trees of the opposing team stifled our rebounding and limited our second chance points. By halftime, the lead has ballooned to as much as 15 points.
Again, the missing Ryan Agas left a gaping hole on both sides of the court. Save for Lazo, our shooters failed to connect from three point country. Nevertheless, we soldiered on. Tempers almost reached boiling point as Lazo and Gino Magat figured in on-court altercations. The team staged a comeback in the third quarter. The duo of Adi Dimaliwat and Paolo Rosales wreaked havoc on the open court, scoring valuable fastbreak points. The team trimmed the deficit to as low as six points.
From then on, it was methodical slaughter.
We were outrebounded, 48 to 58. Team Sarmiento made a staggering 86 field goal attempts to our 69, shooting an impressive 39.5% to our woeful 29%. When the final buzzer sounded, the opposing team was up 16 points, 60-76. With the loss, the team’s record fell to 2-2, good enough for third place in our five-team division.
With our favorite long jumper still recovering from a surgically-repaired ankle, Klishina still managed to top the Aviva International Match held in Glasgow a week back. The Russian notched modest marks of 6.66m and a season’s best of 6.75m, as she fouled the rest of her four attempts.
Britain’s Shara Proctor (6.59m) and the Bahamas’ Bianca Stuart (6.38m) finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
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