JUST like in the 2018 Asian Games, Ilongga rider Ariana Dormitorio missed out on another gold medal in the women’s mountain bike event of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games after encountering problems in her event.
The Iloilo City native was poised to capture the gold medal in her event on Sunday morning in Laurel, Batangas but suffered a spill heading into the final lap and hit her head.
“Actually, during the last part of the trail, I had a crash. That caused me to be dizzy. Knowing that other competitors are just at my back, I didn’t really take time to recover. I was really eager to win,” said Dormitorio.
She added: “I’d like to say my apologies to the whole country for not winning it for you guys but this is my first SEA Games. Definitely in the succeeding ones, I will train harder to bring pride to the country.”
The 22-year-old Dormitorio, a many time gold medal winner in international competitions, admitted that she was dejected not to finish the race as the route of the race suits her.
“There are a lot of climbs. That’s kinda my forte. Part of the game, you can never tell how the end result will be. Despite what happened, I’m still thankful for the opportunity. Fellow Filipinos really gave their support to all of us and I’m very thankful for that,” said Dormitorio.
The race course is very taxing since there are really lots of climbs.
“A crash can really make you feel dizzy, especially the weather, it’s quite hot. It really happens. But definitely, I’ll come back strong,” said Dormitorio.
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Ilonggo Rene Catalan promised to deliver a gold medal for the Team Philippines when he begins his campaign in the 30th Southeast Asian Games sambo event today.
Catalan, who came from an unsuccessful world title clash with ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio, did not waste time. He immediately plunged back to training for the biennial event.
“After my match against Pacio, I was back in the gym. I have to be ready because I’ll be carrying the Philippine flag,” Catalan said. “I told myself then there’s no more time to take a break because the games are nearing.”
He added: “I’m more motivated after my match against Joshua Pacio. I picked up things I can use in the SEA Games, but not only for that, for my future matches in ONE Championship as well.”
The loss only made Catalan hungrier.
“It made me aware of the things that can happen inside the ring,” the Ilonggo martial artist further said.
The 40-year-old Catalan, a multiple gold medal winner in both the Asian and Southeast Asian Games, admitted that he is facing a tough opposition but will bank on his experience to prevail.
“I know I will face some serious competition in the SEA Games, particularly from Singapore,” Catalan said. “But I’ll be bringing experience with me. 99.9 percent I’m winning the] gold medal. I promise I’ll do everything.”/PN
