Olympic hopeful Natalie Uy recalls 'nerve-wracking' SEA Games run
MANILA, Philippines – Despite being at the top of her game, pole vaulter Natalie Uy isn't spared from feeling jitters whenever she competes.
During the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines last December, Uy admitted getting nervous during the competition.
"It was a little nerve-wracking because it's my first Southeast Asian Games and of course, it’s in the Philippines so I felt like there were lots of expectations," Uy shared during the recent episode of Tiebreaker Vods' So She Did posdcast.
"It was all around stressful [but] it was like a perfect mix of stress and awesomeness," she added.
But you wouldn't have noticed her jitters during her SEA Games outing where the Dayton, Ohio native actually broke the national record for pole vault.
In her gold medal performance, Uy cleared 4.25 meters — which was then the highest cleared for Filipino female pole vaulters.
And the US-based athlete admitted that even with the pressure, the home soil SEA Games advantage still provided a boost for her.
"It was a crazy feeling just being on that level like that stage, I've never been in a meet so big with so much support," Uy said.
"And so seeing yourself on the big screen was [a] really crazy experience... It's a feeling that I will never forget," she said.
Still on track to book a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics next year, Uy is looking to create more buzz for herself and to join fellow pole vaulter EJ Obiena in the Philippine contingent for the Summer Games.
Uy broke the national record once again after she cleared 4.30 meters at a US meet just last week.
If that's anything to go on, Uy still has a lot left in the tank in terms of what she can do.
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