Vilog delivers SEAG-worthy performance

STA. CRUZ, Laguna– Marco Vilog came through with a Southeast Asian Games-worthy performance by topping the 800-meter run against fancied, more seasoned foes in the National Open-Invitational Athletics Championships on Saturday at the Laguna Sports Complex here.

A Lyceum-Batangas student representing the Philippine Air Force, Vilog, 20, blazed past the competition headed by national team mainstay Wenlie Maulas to snatch the gold in one minute and 51.60 seconds that catapulted himself into SEAG-bound national team consideration.

Vilog's time made the national team standard as he eclipsed the 1.51.62 of 2013 Myanmar SEAG bronze medallist Van Thai.

It should also earn the proud son of Mindoro an automatic slot to the national team bound for the 28th SEAG scheduled June 5-16 in Singapore.

"He made the SEAG standard," said Ernie Candelario, a former multiple SEAG gold medallist who is now coaching Vilog, in Filipino.

PRISAA, a private school league, however prevented Vilog from joining the national team since it has a league barring its student athletes from competing for the national team in international competition, otherwise it will be strippled of scholarships.

"If he (Vilog) plays in the SEAG, he will be stripped of his scholarship because of that PRISAA rule. "And even of PRISAA allows him, it will be hard to include him in the national team because he is not in the original list submitted early this year and he still has no passport.

"So he decided to just stay put with his school for another year so that he will not lose his scholarship," he added.

Curiously, 19-year-old Ryan Bigyan, Vilog's Lyceum-Batangas teammate, is giving up his scholarship to join the 4x400m relay team in Singapore.

"He (Bigyan) has decided to go to the SEAG and pay his way to school for the scholarship he will lose," said Candelario.

Vilog's spot could end up in the hands of Maulas, who managed only a silver in 1.51.91.

Mervin Guarte clinched the first of two SEAG slots in 800m since being a silver medal winner in the last SEAG automatically qualifies him.

Vilog, however, isn't going home broken-hearted as his scintillating effort may still have clinched him a spot in the national training team even if he isn't joining the Singapore-bound squad.

"That is my hope and prayer," said Vilog.
And Vilog did it despite going back and forth to take exams every day.

"I had to compete in the morning and go home in the afternoon
Smart-Perpetual Help's Francis Medina took his second gold after he topped the 400m hurdles gold to his early victory in the 110m hurldes to emerge the best performing athlete in the juniors division.

Medina clocked 14.23 in the 110-m hurdles despite the drizzle to break the 14.52 national junior mark for 99-cm hurdles he himself set in December last year in the ASEAN Schools Games in Marikina City.

Jessica Barnard blew away the opposition in 3,000m steeplechase in 11:34.45 to join fellow Fil-Ams Caleb Stuart, Brandon Thomas and

Donovan Arriola in the SEAG squad.
Jose Rizal's Mark Harry Diones seized the triple jump mint in 15.84m in beating younger brother Melbert (15.34) also of the reigning four-peat NCAA track and field champion and Lyceum's Ronne Malipay (15.12m).

Diones though may have missed the SEAG team cut as he failed to breach at least 16 meters.

Kenny Gonzales, representing Team Rio, reigned supreme in javelin in 62.96m ahead of Army's Danilo Fresnido (60.82m) and Team Rio's Melvin Calano (58.92m), to give him a chance to make the national team.

The event is organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and Philippine Sports Commission and backed by Laguna Water, Pacific Online Scratch It KaskaSwerte, Papa John’s Pizza, Foton Philippines, PCSO, Smart, PLDT, Summit Natural Drinking Water and supported by SSS, Pagcor, Milo, Gatorade, L Time Studio and Asics Watch.