World champs to rally Pinoy athletes

(This was an unpublished article I wrote before the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar.)
World champions Rubilen Amit and Josie Gabuco will try to rally the entire Philippine delegation to the 27th Myanmar Southeast Asian Games from December 11 to 22 to boost the country’s morale which is reeling from successive disasters.

 Amit and Gabuco said they will do everything that they can to win the gold in their respective events and serve as a fitting follow-up to Manny Pacquiao’s recent lopsided victory over Brandon Rios.

 “Kung ang mga kababayan natin i-cheer ako sa bawat laban ko, this time tulungan tayo para i-boost ang morale ng mga kababayan natin,” said Amit during Wednesday night’s athletes send-off party in Dasmarinas Village Makati City.

 Amit, the reigning Yalin Women’s World 10-Ball champion, will be targeting the women’s 9-ball and 10-ball gold medals together with teammate Iris Ranola.

“Maganda ang sinabi ni Kuya Manny [Pacquiao] na alay niya ang kaniyang panalo para sa bansa. Kaya kami, gagawin din namin ang lahat ng aming makakaya para sa bayan, para sa Tacloban,” added Amit.

 The two-time women’s champion Amit though remains cautious of her chances saying that Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand have improved a lot.

 “Nakaka pressure din. Hindi mo masasabi kasi ang laro minsan sa billiards dahil lahat gusto manalo ng gold. Basta buhos na ang lahat sa laban at confident naman kami dahil tuloy tuloy ang ensayo namin,” ended Amit.

 Gabuco, meanwhile, said that though she’s thankful her relatives are not affected by Yolanda’s wrath, she is still saddened by what happened to Eastern Visayas.

 “Basta makapag-bigay ligaya sa bansa, itotodo namin ang laban. Siyempre gusto makuha ang ginto para maibsan ang kalungkutan ng mga kababayan natin, lalo na sa mga taga Tacloban,” added Gabuco, who will be aiming for the women’s 48-kilogram gold.

 The 2012 world champion said she has no idea who is her opponents yet since she hasn’t seen the entries of the other countries.

 “Nag prepare naman tayo ng matindi at naghirap sa training. Lahat naman ng kasali naghirap at nag prepare. Walang madali na kalaban para sa akin dahil lahat aiming for the gold medal,” added Gabuco, who will be seeing action in her fourth Sea Games.

 In other news, the Asian Triathlon Confederation President Yu Pyung Sun donated $5,000 (of his personal money to the victims of typhoon Yolanda, while the Korean Triathlon Federation also gave $5,000 each. The Japan Olympic Committee gave Y1,300,000.

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