2018 YEAR-ROUND SUCCESS NG TEAM GO-FOR-GOLD ATHLETES

IMPRESIBO ang Pinoy athletes sa ilalim ng Go For Gold program mula sa pagsabak sa local at international stint nitong 2018.

Ang paddlers o mananagwan ng Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation ay muling naging world champions matapos makakuha ng limang gold medals sa global meet na idinaos sa United States nitong taon sa husay ni triathlete John Leerams Chicano nang pamunuan ang prestihiyosong Tri-Factor International Triathlon sa China ng nakaraang buwan.

Namuno sina Go For Gold cyclists Jonel Carcueva at Rex Luis Krog sa elite at junior races sa pahirapang Tour de Linggarjati sa Indonesia. Naghahanda na si Skateboarder Margielyn Didal, na nagwagi ng gold medal sa Asian Games para sa Olympic qualifying tournament sa Brazil sa unang bahagi ng susunod na taon.

“Our national athletes under the Go For Gold program have made the country proud in their respective competitions. Overall, I can say that the program is successful,’’ ayon kay Go For Gold godfather Jeremy Go.

Bukod sa cycling, dra­gon­­boat, triathlon at skateboarding, umibayo rin ang laro ng Go For Gold Philippine sepak takraw squad at ang national wrestling team. “We have succeeded in attaining our goals for 2018. The program has brought home medals from different sports around the world,’’ ayon kay Go For Gold pro­ject director Ednalyn Hualda. ``Still, there are a lot of things that we have to work on to produce more top-caliber athletes.’’ Anim na ginto ang nakamada ng Filipino wrestlers na sina Margarito Angana, Michael Vijay Cater, Noel Norada, Luke Cruz, Minalyn Foy-os at Noemi Tener nang kumampanya ang Pilipinas sa Southeast Asian Senior Wrestling Championships ng nakaraang dalawang buwan.

Gold medal naman ang naiuwi ng PH sepak takraw at tatlong bronze medals mula sa world championships sa Thailand. Ito ay bago nanguna si two-time SEA Games gold medalist Nikko Huelgas sa men’s elite category ng National Age Group Triathlon kamakailan. “We have partnered with the national sports associations of these athletes and teams as we continue to strive for excellence, especially that the Southeast Asian Games next year is looming on the horizon,’’ ayon kay Hualda.

Inanunsiyo ni Go na ang Go For Gold cycling squad ay nag-transform na sa continental team upang maki­pagkompetensiya sa mas challenging na stage races para sa posibleng paglahok ng team sa 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Isa sa naging impresi­bong year-round campaign ng Go For Gold ng national athletes ay ang rewarding performance ng Filipino grapplers sa continental meet sa Singapore, kung saan nasungkit nila ang dalawang gold medals mula kina Jhonny Morte at Alvin Lobreguito.

Bukod sa kanilang pana­lo, nasungkit din ng Pinoy wrestlers ang tatlong silver medals at dalawang bronze mula kina Ronil Tubog at Cadel Evance Hual­da.