Asiad-bound track athletes to train under US coach

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Sports Commission hopes to send several members of the track and field team that struck gold in last December's Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar to the US to train with topnotch American coach Ryan Flaherty hoping to shore up for the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.

PSC chair and Incheon Asiad chief of mission Richie Garcia said the athletes the government sports-funding agency is eyeing to send abroad to train are Fil-Am hurdler Eric Cray, long jumper Henry Dagmil, decathlete Jesson Cid, sprinter Archand Bagsit and the 4x400-meter relay team of Bagsit, Julius Nierras, Isidro Del Prado, Jr. and Edgardo Alejan, Jr.

Dagmil, 33, won the gold in long jump, Cray the 400m hurdles, Cid decathlon, Bagsit the 400m dash, and Nierras, Del Prado, Alejan and Bagsit the 4x400m relay.

"Unless PATAFA has other things in mind, we would like to send these athletes to train in San Diego, California with coach Ryan (Flaherty) as early as we can so that they will have a long time preparing for Incheon," said Garcia in Friday's Asian Games Task Force meeting at the PSC Administration Building in Manila.

"Ryan has actually been asking us to get these said athletes to train in the Olympic Training Center there and perhaps compete in some competitions there so they can improve their time and distance and learn more techniques there," he added.

Garcia said Flaherty was particularly impressed with the 4x400m relay squad and Dagmil.

Sending them to the US means will save the country time and money instead of competing in different countries in the Southeast Asian region.

After all, Garcia said they will need only their time and distance to qualify.

"Ryan told us he finds really potential from the relay team and Dagmil, that is why we're sending these athletes to train with him in the US and not waste time going around Southeast Asia," said Garcia.

"Anyway, their events are measurable and Ryan will find it out and monitor their time and distance personally if they're in the US," he added.

Garcia also welcomed many-time SEAG long jump gold medalist and two-time Olympian Marestella Torres back to active competition after giving up national team duties for a while due to pregnancy.

 "She (Torres) is most welcome and we consider her as a medal potential. Of course, we want to see how she ends up in the Phl National Games and maybe in some other meets," said Garcia.