CEBUANO duathlete Joland Olmilla dreams of playing for the country in the Southeast Asian Games and with the country hosting the meet next year, the Mandaue City rider is hoping to finally make the cut.
As early as this year, the 25-year-old Olmilla has already set his eyes on a series of SEA Games qualifying races that will start next year.
“Only two men and two women will get the slots. It will depend on the performance of the athletes in the qualifying races,” Olmilla, a member of the national team, told SunStar Cebu yesterday. “It’s my dream to be part of the SEA Games, but making it to the lineup will depend on how I will perform.”
Olmilla said that he’s working to improve his running prowess, which is a vital key for him to have a fighting chance on clinching one of the four SEA Games slots.
He added that the athlete with the highest points from the qualifiers will be tapped for the SEA Games.
“My coach told me that I have to get the no. 1 or no. 2 spot in the qualifiers for me to have a chance. It would be tough but I will try my best because the SEA Games is really my dream, and to be able to compete even just once would be a great experience for me,” he said.
The Philippines will be the host of the 30th SEA Games in 2019 and the duathlon will be played in Clark, Pampanga.
Olmilla, a member of the national team for three years now, said that he plans to return to Baguio City, which is one of the training camps for the duathlon national team, by the first quarter of next year.
For the remainder of this season, he is set to compete in the Ethos Duathlon this Sunday before going to Leyte for the Palompon Duathlon on Nov. 10.
“This is a continuous training to prepare me for the SEA Games qualifiers,” he said. RSC