Philippine Sports News and Updates

Henry Dagmil is the current Southeast Asian Games long jump champion, who broke the meet record twice.

He leapt to a new SEA Games and Philippine mark of 7.87 meters in the men’s long jump in last year’s SEAG at His Majesty the King’s 80th Anniversary Nakhon Ratchasima Stadium.

Dagmil trained for nearly two years in California after winning the same event two years ago in Manila. He leapt to 7.34 meters on his second try, passed on the third, fouled on his next attempt before leaping to a new mark that erased the RP record of 7.82 meters he himself set on June 1, 2004. His leap was a one-hundredths of a meter better than the SEAG record of 7.81 meters he set two years ago.

The 5’8” Dagmil, meanwhile, registered a new personal-best of 7.99 meters in the Bush Southern California meet, one of the tournaments he joined in the US.

And although he failed to break the 8.00-meter mark, Dagmil is confident he can do it in Beijing.

“Konti lang ang diperensya dahil hindi ko pa rin makuha ang timing. Sa long jump naman, walang paborito dito. Hindi tulad sa event na may oras, ang long jump event lahat may laban dahil hindi mo sigurado kung tama at hindi faulty ang talon ng kalaban,” said Dagmil, recalling his fault in the sixth jump that dropped him to fifth place in the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

“I charged that to experience. Pero ngayon, ibang Dagmil na ako. Ang maturity ko pagdating sa laban mas mataas na, kaya laban lang tayo. Pipilitin ko na maiuwi ang medalya,” said Dagmil.

The Philippines last bagged a medal in athletics in the Olympics when lawyer and then Bohol Rep. Simeon Toribio won a bronze medal in high jump in the 1936 Berlin Games.

Promises to keep

Dagmil also has an extra motivation for going for a medal in Beijing.

He promised his son Karl Christian to return home with an Olympic medal as his birthday gift. Karl Christian will turn five on Sept. 5.

‘Since ipinanganak siya, hindi ako nakakadalo ng birthday niya, dahil laging kumplikado ang schedule ko sa training. Pero, ngayon uuwi na ko para sa kanya,” said Dagmil.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment