PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — With the world-renowned Angkor Wat as backdrop, Christine Hallasgo aims to regain her title while Richard Salano and Arlan Arbois shoot for podium finishes when athletics open with marathon events on Saturday in Siem Riep.
Action fires off at 6 a.m. with Hallasgo, who clinched the title before an adoring home crowd in 2019, determined to regain the crown taken away from her by Odekta Naibaho Elvina of Indonesia in dramatic fashion last year in Hanoi.
Joining her will be newcomer Ruffa Sorongon, a Sultan Kudarat native who is making her presence felt in various local races.
“Overall, the team is ready,” Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association secretary general Edward Kho said.
“It’s good that we arrived here early and had already settled in. Our athletes are not tense. They are ready to compete.”
Although the Filipino runners have already assimilated themselves with the running conditions, Kho said they expect a fierce duel with the Vietnamese who checked in as early as last month to familiarize themselves with the proposed routes and scorching conditions.
Meanwhile, with the weather expected to reach a high of 39-degree Celsius by the time the race enters its crucial stretch, Salano and Arbois are ready to face the challenge that will be thrown by reigning champion Hoang Nguyen Thanh of Vietnam.
Although Thai ace Tony Ah-Thit Payne, a naturalized Kiwi, will not be around due to injury after bagging the bronze medal in Hanoi, the battle will still be fierce with both Salano and Arbois shooting for at least a chance to medal.
The rest of the athletics events will be played in Phnom Penh from 8 to 12 May at the Morodok Techno National Stadium, including pole vault on Monday, where world’s No. 3 Ernest John Obiena will shoot for a third straight SEA Games title.
