Pole vaulter Elijah Cole has his eye on another major tournament. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CAPAS, TARLAC—Elijah Cole soared to his third straight national title on Saturday night, clearing 5.25 meters at the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships at New Clark City Athletic Stadium.
And he has no plans of going home just yet.
Cole will also see action in the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) Pole Vault Challenge on Tuesday, a high-profile meet organized by world No. 4 vaulter and Olympian EJ Obiena at Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.
“I believe I can clear 5.50 or 5.60, and hopefully that will qualify me for the Asian Championships,” said Cole, aiming for the 5.51-m entry standard for this month’s continental meet in Gumi, South Korea.
The pole vault event in the national championships featured a strong international field. Taiwanese vaulters Huang Cheng-chi and Wu Yan-han delivered matching results at 5.20m, with Huang taking silver via countback.
“[The Obiena event] gives me the opportunity to show what I’m capable of,” Cole said. “I hope I can bring out the best in me on Tuesday.”
On the track, it was a breakout night for two foreign-based athletes with Filipino roots. Singapore’s Marc Brian Louis, whose mother hails from Tarlac, blazed through the men’s 100m in 10.45 seconds.
“It is just the start of the outdoor competition, so this race against strong runners is just what I need,” said Louis, a Southeast Asian Games medalist and Singapore Sports School alum.
Standing beside him postrace was his mother, Julie Ann Adsuara, once a sprinter herself.
“He used to jog with me when he was young,” she recalled. “Now he’s here, winning races.”
FILAM Sports’ Miguel Anthony Rosario (10.53) and Singaporean Daryl Tan (10.62) completed the podium. Rosario, coming off a win in the 200m, admitted to fatigue and jet lag but remained upbeat.
“The Singaporean guy had a strong start … but that’s okay, there will be other times,” he said.
On the women’s side, Sydney-born Jessica Laurance claimed her first national gold in the absence of Olympian Kristina Knott, who scratched due to a fall in the 200m.
“It’s all so surreal,” said Laurance, whose Filipino mother granted her a Philippine passport. “I wish [Knott] had been in the race. It would have been really good, us pushing each other.”
Laurance clocked 11.46 seconds, ahead of University of Santo Tomas’ Lianne Pama (11.78) and TAFT’s Jandra Delotavo (12.85).
“I didn’t have a good start but I executed well overall,” Laurance said.
Other standouts included Willie Morrison, who defended his shot put crown with an 18.81-m throw; Ronnie Malipay (15.77m) and Jeanne Ambal (12.44m) winning the triple jump; and University of the East’s Anthony Cariaso and Far Eastern University’s Susan Ramadan topping the 1,500-m races.
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The four-day meet served as trials for upcoming regional competitions, including the SEA Games and Asian Youth Games.
