Our 19 Philippine Team Masters athletes who recently showed action at the 18th Asia Masters Athletics Championships (AMAC) in Kitakami, Japan last week are now back in the country after a week of grueling track and field competitions that saw them garner 3 Golds, 2 Silver and 5 Bronzes for a total of 10 medals!
With Edward Kho, bronze medalist, 4×400 MR at the Asian Masters Athletics Championship in Kitakami, Japan.
In honor of the achievements of these masters athletes, one of their main sponsors, El Lobo Energy Juice Drink gathered the media, bloggers and supporters for a homecoming luncheon held last week at the Aristocrat Restaurant along Roxas Blvd.
There was an air of pride lingering inside the lounge as we, the guests and the athletes themselves gathered to recognize the medalists as each gave a synopsis of their performance, their ups and downs during the competition proper and we were just impressed by their abilities to manage their intensive training prior to the games in addition to balancing their responsibilities with their regular jobs and families.
Philippine Team at the homecoming luncheon
The Philippine masters athletes have a strong record of success throughout the years in the AMAC, a competition where former national athletes aged 35 to 95 years old compete with their Asian counterparts and test their abilities in the sports of athletics where they have been participating since 1986.
The athletes, led by their spokesperson and 4×400 meters bronze medalist and Corregidor Marathon Race Director Edward Tito Kho presented the highlights of their performance in a brief presented to us:
As you see, there were several glorious moments for us at the Masters Games in Kitakami: Emerson Obiena’s Gold in the Pole Vault Event (M45-49); Danilo Fresnido’s golden javelin throw (M40-44) and perennial gold medalist in the women’s event of the javelin throw, Erlinda Lavandia (W60-64).
Danilo Fresnido, Gold-Javelin Throw (M40-44)
Emerson Obiena, Gold- Pole Vault/ Bronze-4×400 MR (45-49)
Erlinda Lavandia – 1 Gold, 2 Silvers, 1 Bronze
While we were robbed of another prospective gold opportunity when superstar Elma Muros-Posadas injured her ankle in her first attempt at the long jump thus, not able to compete for the rest of the games, we can take some solace in the fact we have still garnered silvers and bronzes against other giant delegations like Japan and Korea.
It’s a great achievement for an athlete to even be selected for the AMAC Games, and I’m sure our local elder stars will strive harder to step up at the podium in their next international event, the World Masters Championships in France!
Wilson D. Go, President of Refreshment Republic Incorporated, makers of El Lobo Energy Drinks (R) with Paul Ycasas, Team Manager (Philippine Sports Commission)
Here are the performance results:
The Team Philippine Masters were supported by EL LOBO ENERGY DRINK, L-TIME STUDIO and SOMA WATCHES, among others.
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