WITH two gold medals under her belt in the recent Ayala Philippine Athletic Championships in Baguio City, comebacking Khay Santos is now eyeing to qualify and seek a podium finish in the women’s long jump event in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games in May next year.
“I will try to do my best and win a medal in the Vietnam SEA Games,” Santos said yesterday in a radio interview.
The comely jumper ruled the women’s 100-meter dash and long jump, in the process besting former Asian long jump queen Marestella Torres-Sunang in the two-day meet organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association at the Baguio Athletic Bowl last week.
In her first major competition in three years, the Baguio-based Santos beat Sunang on the countback, jumping 6.06 meters on her first attempt. Sumang did it on her fourth try in the competition serving as part of the national team tryouts to the Vietnam SEA Games.
“Hindi tayo nag-podium sa (long jump) SEA Games so naisip ko na why not compete again.
Na-miss ko ‘yung competition,” explained the winsome athlete of her decision to come back and try her chances of returning to the national squad.
“But first I need to meet the qualifying standard of 6.16 in the women’s long jump,” added Santos of the bronze-medal jump set by Vietnam’s Vu Thi Mong Mo in the 30th SEA Games at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium in Capas, Tarlac two years ago.
With a personal best of 5.40 meters in the long jump, seven centimeters off the jump of reigning Indon SEA Games champion Maria Natalia Londa, Santos was optimistic she could meet the cut in her next two major events before the SEA Games.
“In the event I am taken back to the national team, I am hoping to see action in the Asian indoor meet in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan in February then, if it pushes through as scheduled, the Philippine National Games in March,” she said.
Santos credited national coach Jojo Posadas in helping her return to competitive form in her pet event, adding she is willing to train with the rest of the national athletes at the Philsports track oval in Pasig City if called back to active duty.
Asked why she dropped out of the national team, Santos, 31, now a mother of a young boy, said that “I had some problems then so I needed to heal mentally, physically and emotionally.”
She said her son Kali Nathan now serves as her main inspiration.
“I am more inspired and focused dahil sa anak ko. I am doing this for him,” said Santos, whose ultimate dream is to qualify for the long jump in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“Kung mabibigyan ng pagkakataon at tuloy ang career ko, ang ultimate aim ko is to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. But for now, mag-medal muna sa SEA Games ang target ko,” she said.
