PH athletics no longer intimidated on world stage — Capistrano

Manila Times - Oct 6, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine athletics team is no longer hesitant to compete at the highest level of international competition. With the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) ramping up its investment in development programs, the national team is poised to become highly competitive in the Asian arena and a consistent qualifier in future world championships. The optimism follows a strong campaign at the recently concluded 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where Ernest John "EJ" Obiena successfully retained his title plus a record-breaking feat and the team added two more bronze medals. Building on that momentum, PATAFA is now setting its sights on more victories at next year's Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia and on qualifying more athletes for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. "We are no longer skeptical to compete at a high level because we have already gained confidence in our capabilities," PATAFA President Terry Capistrano said. "The future is getting brighter. We already have a number of potential stars, and some of them have already stepped up to the challenge." Obiena, one of the country's most decorated athletes, secured back-to-back Asian Games gold medals in the men's pole vault after shattering the Asiad record with a clearance of 5.91 meters. Newcomer Victoria...

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