CLOCKING 15 minutes and 14 seconds in the final tryout for men's 5,000-meter run may not be former Davao City standout Sonny Wagdos's best time but it was good enough to earn him a ticket to the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2019 as the newest member of the national athletics team.
The 24-year-old native of Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur upset arch-rival Richard Salano of the national team who timed 15:34 to finish second. Juniel Gobotia of Arellano University landed third with a 15:42 mark.
Salano held the most number of wins against Wagdos in over five races they competed against each other and the latter registered his second victory over the former at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac over the weekend.
Wagdos first outran Salano in the same category in the 2015 National Open.
"Sabay jud mi hangtod eight laps. Last four laps ko ni-break away niya Maam (We were close until the eighth lap. I broke away from him in the last four laps)," the ex-University of Midanao (UM) trackster said in a Facebook interview with Sun.Star Davao yesterday.
He relished his feat and looked forward to his SEA Games debut when the country hosts the 30th edition on November 30 to December 11 this year.
Wagdos continued, "SEA Games najud ko! Super excited ko Maam sa umabutay nga SEA Games kay makaapil ko. Nagdahum ko gamay nga makasulod jud kay medyo kargado man ko karun (I'm making it to the SEA Games! I am excited that I can compete. I was somehow expecting to make the cut in the national team because I trained hard for this)."
His best 5,000m record is 15:06, which he registered in the National Open held in Laguna.
Wagdos, a Philippine Air Force (PAF) enlisted personnel, targets a podium finish in the biennial games. His training, however, will soon be handled by the national athletics team coach.
He, who has several gold medals in 8th BIMP-Eaga Friendship Games (Labuan, Malaysia) and in past National Prisaa editions to his name, last joined a SEA Games qualifying on September 1.