CAPAS, Tarlac. — Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Terry Capistrano is eyeing the New Clark City, featuring the world-class NCC Athletic Stadium, as the site of the national team’s long training camp before the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games in December.
“With its fine facilities and the world-class New Clark City Athletic Stadium, we are seriously thinking of a two to three-month training camp for the national team at the NCC before they compete in the Thailand SEA Games,” Capistrano said at the start of the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships here Thursday.
The strategy is similar to what his predecessor, Philip Ella Juico, did when he had the national athletic team undergo intensive training before competing in the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian Games athletics meet at the NCC Athletic Stadium.
The ploy paid rich dividends for the country’s track and field campaigners, who garnered 11 golds, eight silvers and eight bronzes while finishing third overall among the eight participating countries in the Philippine Games.
The Pinoy standard-bearers brought home four gold, 10 silver and eight bronze medals to end up fifth overall in the medal standings in the 2023 edition of the regional sports showcase in Cambodia.
Capistrano thanked the Bases Conversion Development Authority, which owns the New Clark City Athletic Stadium, for allowing Patafa to use the World Athletics-accredited arena for the first time for its blue-ribbon track event.
Capistrano reiterated that the Patafa competition is also part of the qualifying process for those who want to see action in the Asian championships in Gumi, South Korea, later this month, the world athletic meet in Tokyo, Japan in September and the Thailand SEA Games seven months from now.
He said that US-based Eric Shawn Cray, 36, is focused on defending the men’s 400-meter hurdles for the seventh straight and final time in the Thailand Games as his swan song.
“Cray wants to defend his 400-meter hurdles title for the last time in Thailand before finally retiring,” said Capistrano of the athlete, who began his reign as the undisputed king of the event during the 2015 edition in Singapore.
