ANA Bhianca Espenilla and Jerico Cadag rose to the occasion, delivering silver and bronze medals that underscored the promise of Philippine athletics at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong.
For Espenilla, the moment came when she least expected it. The 19-year-old javelin thrower from Tigao Island, Masbate had struggled through her first five attempts, her best mark stuck at 47.71 meters, far from medal contention.
But on her sixth and final throw, Espenilla unleashed a personal-best 52.20 meters at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, catapulting her to the silver medal and the biggest podium finish of her young career.
"My first few throws were really nothing, so I was surprised by my last throw. I just told myself to let whatever happens happen, I'll just throw it, so I really didn't expect it to reach 52 (meters),” said Espenilla.
The breakthrough gave her a timely confidence boost ahead of the World U20 Athletics Championships in Oregon on August 5 to 9, where she will join Jeralyn Rodriguez (400 m), Naomi Cesar (800 m), and Ivan Cabanda (400-m hurdles).
“This is truly a remarkable feat. The Asian U20 Championships are, in essence, the Asian Games for athletes under 20 and a showcase of the continent’s finest young talents," said Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association President Terry Capistrano.
“What we are witnessing here is nothing less than the future of Asian athletics,” added Capistrano.
The 18-year-old Cadag proved his mettle in the men’s 3000-m steeplechase final. Against a field of 13 runners, Cadag clocked 9:35.10 to clinch the bronze medal behind India’s Nikhil Chandrashekar (9:25.44) and Japan’s Yuu Kato (9:27.30).
With Espenilla’s silver and Cadag’s bronze, the Philippine athletics squad supported by the Philippine Sports Commission closed the meet with two medals in a resounding way.
Cadag’s medal was the culmination of a journey marked by reinvention. Once a javelin thrower, he realized his true niche lay in distance running.
He shifted to the 1500 m and 3000 m, where his persistence paid off with two Palarong Pambansa golds and a silver at the SEA U18 competitions.
In Hong Kong, he drew motivation from Vietnamese rival Luong Xuan Son, who had beaten him in Malaysia two years ago. TMT