Marestella Torres, Hidilyn Diaz fail to make Asian Games cut

MANILA, Philippines – Former Asian athletics champion Marestella Torres failed to make the cut-off for an Asian Games berth in track and field when she fell short of the qualifying mark in the long jump Saturday, August 9 at the Weekly Relays at the Philsports Arena.

Torres leapt 6.17 meters, a slight improvement from the 6.14 meters she achieved in finishing second a few weeks ago in Vietnam, despite cheering from a slim crowd led by Philippine Track and Field Association president Philip Juico.

Despite her well-chiseled body from weight training and a spartan regimen begun last February, Torres couldn’t use her power to propel her body further. Her series of jumps: 6.08, 6.03, 6.00, 5.85, 6.17 and foul pretty much told the story. 

The qualifying standard is 6.37 meters, and suddenly 20 meters, which she once measured by spreading her thumb and forefinger by a few notches, seems so difficult to achieve.

Torres, who gave birth last January, won fourth place in the 2010 Asian Games. She won four straight Southeast Asian Games from 2005 until 2011. Juico, in a previous interview, said Torres is the sport’s brightest hope to erase a 20-year-old medal drought in the Asian Games.   

In a related development, Olympian Hidilyn Diaz failed to make it to the Asian Games as she fell five kilos short of the qualifying mark of 225 kilos at the 58-kilo division in the afternoon at the Rizal Memorial weightlifting gym.

Tom Carrasco, head of the screening committee for the Asian Games, told Rappler that she lifted 224kg in winning the silver during the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. This was her chance to qualify for Incheon, he added. 

Six Southeast Asian Games gold medallists in athletics have qualified for the Incheon Games. They are Jeeson Ramil Cid (decathlon), Christopher Ulboc (3,000m steeplechase), Eric Cray ( 400m hurdles), 4x400m ( Archand Bagsit, Eduardo Alejan, Isidro del Prado Jr and Julius Nierras).

Unless Torres is allowed to  jump before the deadline of submission of entries on August 15, this may very well be her last chance.

Juico begged off from comment but a track and field source said the PATAFA will try to persuade Tom Carrasco, chairman of the Asian Games screening committee, if Torres makes the August 24 Singapore Open as her last qualifying chance.   

However, a member of the committee told Rappler “she was given her chance and she didn’t make it.” – Rappler.com