Janry Ubas has a bigger target than an Asian Championship medal.— CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
BANGKOK—All those days of hard work that Janry Ubas has put in will be put to use Saturday when the Filipino long jump ace shoots not just for a 25th Asian Athletics Championship medal but a berth in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“That’s what I’ve been working on every day,’’ said Ubas in Filipino on the eve of his men’s long jump final appearance where he aims to leap more than 8.27 meters (m) for outright qualification to the glitzy French capital. “My concern here is to land in the top eight. Perhaps it’s just a bonus if I get to win a medal.’’
The 29-year-old from Misamis Oriental, who is the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games champion and record-holder, is just half a foot away from the Olympic qualifying measurement following an 8.08m jump in the SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia two months back.
“I’m confident that I can do it. I just have to outdo myself every time I’m out there on the field,’’ said Ubas, who, if successful, can become the second Filipino after pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena to punch a ticket to Paris.
Europe sojourn awaits
“I know it will be difficult, but I’m willing to put in the work and sacrifice,’’ said Ubas, whose coach, Dario Da Rosas, has laid down a strategic road map that could bring his ward closer to their Olympic dream.
This meet, though, is not the first and only chance for Ubas to qualify, as he will pack his bags on Monday and leave for Europe where three tournaments await him from July 19-29 starting in Italy, all of them sanctioned by World Athletics as Olympic qualifiers.
Aside from these World Athletics-recognized meets, Ubas is also taking part in the coming 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 where he has been projected as a possible medal contender.
Also shooting for a Paris slot at Supachalasai National Stadium here is long-time SEAG hurdles king Eric Cray, the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympian and 2017 Asian champion who is looking to clock 48.70 or better in the men’s 400-meters to automatically qualify.
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