PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – After an eight-year wait, Janry Ubas nailed his first-ever gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games as he ruled the men’s long jump at the Morodok Techo National Stadium on Tuesday, May 9.

Ubas leapt 7.85m to capture the gold, which had eluded him since he started representing the country in the SEA Games in 2015.

The 29-year-old suffered heartbreak after heartbreak in the long jump, where he settled for bronze in 2017 and a pair of silvers in 2019 and 2021.

But the pain from all his SEA Games woes has certainly been eased.

“I thought about giving up before but everything has changed. I want to train every day again,” said Ubas in Filipino.

Ubas’ title is the second for the Philippines in athletics after EJ Obiena claimed a third straight gold medal in men’s pole vault a day prior. – Rappler.com