MANILA – After setting a record at the 5,000-meter distance run world record for 11 year-olds, Australia-based Ilongga sprinter Mia Chelsea Guillergan is hoping to compete in the Olympic Games someday.
The Oton, Iloilo-native hopes to fulfill the shattered dream of her grandfather, who was supposed to compete in the Olympics in the 1950s before being shipped off to the army.
“My grandfather inspires me. He almost made it to the Olympics before,” Guillergan said in an interview with Australia-based newspaper Daily Telegraph on Tuesday. “He’s qualified for the Olympics before but was unable to play.”
Guillergan recorded 17:41.03 minutes, breaking the record set by American Kathy Kiernan in 1977, during the weekly Warringah Little Athletics meeting held at the Narrabeen track at New South Wales in Australia.
“I was so relieved because I have tried to beat it for a long time and I had gotten so close,” said Guillergan, who will next compete in the NSW cross country event set in Dapto next month.
Before her record breaking performance, Guillergan snatched bronzes in the track and field competition in the 4th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She also won bronze in the 1500m and 800m Under 11 category at the New South Wales last year; and three gold finishes in the 400m, 800m and 1500m Under 12 category of the Little Athletics Regional Championships./PN
