February 5 ------ CARLOS Yulo and Hidilyn Diaz won’t be able to defend their titles in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games as both will be competing in Olympic qualifiers that will be held at the same time as the Cambodia meet.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richard Bachmann has been informed about the two stars of Team Philippines skipping the May 5-17 event in the city of Phnom Penh. “The last time I talked to Ma'am Cynthia Carrion was that he (Yulo) won’t be able to join the SEA Games,” said Bachmann on Tuesday in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. “Same thing I understand, Hidilyn is also not going to the SEA Games.”
Yulo spearheaded the country’s SEA Games’ campaign in Vietnam last year, accounting for five of the Filipinos’ 52 gold medals won that landed the Filipinos at fourth place. The Filipino gymnast won the golds in the men’s all-around artistic, artistic rings, artistic vault, artistic horizontal bar, and men’s artistic floor. Yulo also bagged a pair of silver in the artistic parallel bar and as part of the men’s artistic team.
Diaz, the Philippine’s first ever Olympic gold medalist, meanwhile, retained her gold in the women’s 55 kg event. But while the absence of the two Olympians is a big blow to the country’s campaign, Bachmann sees a ray of hope in the situation. “It’s a perfect time for other athletes who’s been training to step up and perform for the national team,” said the PSC chairman. “It’s about time other athletes step up. That’s why we have a national pool, that’s why we have grassroots (program).”
Source: spin.ph
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