Pole vaulter Alyana Nicolas is next headed to EJ Obiena’s prestigious tournament. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CAPAS, Tarlac—Alyana Nicolas appreciates the fact that her performance rises to the level of the competition that surrounds her.
Motivated by an equally determined rival, Nicolas cleared four meters for the first time in six years to retain her women’s pole vault title at the end of the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships.
“I haven’t hit it (4 meters) for so long, so I am proud of myself for doing it at the right place at the right time,” said the FilAm Sports discovery who last cleared the height in the same meet organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) back in 2019 in Ilagan, Isabela.
Egged on by the crowd at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium, Nicolas logged 4.0m on her first attempt, defeating silver medalist Amy Christensen, who vaulted 3.85m.
“I have to thank Amy for pushing me. I know that there’s still a lot left in me and I am really looking forward to the rest of the season,” said Nicolas, the nation’s top female pole vaulter.
Humid conditions
Closing out the four-day meet in style backed by CEL Logistics and the Philippine Sports Commission were UAAP Season 86 MVP Hussein Loraña and 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Sarah Dequinan.
Despite the humid conditions at the arena which also hosted the 2019 SEA Games, Loraña sped away in the last 200 m to rule the men’s 800 run in 1:51.86.
Dequinan amassed 4,441 points in seven events to grab the title in women’s heptathlon over Far Eastern University’s Antonette Jay Aguillon (3,651).
Both Nicolas and Christensen have confirmed participation in the Patafa Pole Vault Challenge organized by men’s pole vault celebrity EJ Obiena on Tuesday at Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.
Nicolas, a California State University Northridge alum, failed in her three attempts to clear the entry standard of 4.10m for the coming Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, from May 27 to 31.
According to Patafa president Terry Capistrano, a total of 31 athletes were included in the list bidding to qualify for the Asian championships, but they could only cement their spots by meeting the qualification standard in their respective events.
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“I tried to jump 4.10 and was pretty confident I could get it. I took a lot of jumps today, so the heat took a lot out of me,” said Nicolas. INQ
