Gilas bows to Cambodia; PH sputters

PHNOM PENH—Gilas Pilipinas proved to be a no-match against an all-naturalized Cambodian side on the hardcourt, dropping its first basketball game here on a day an ageless Eric Cray ruled the 400m hurdles for the sixth straight time Thursday to save the day for the Philippines in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games here.

The Filipino team, which also has a naturalized player in Justin Brownlee, who suffered from cramps and dehydration and several half Filipino players, stumbled early at 15-29, and could not recover the rest of the way in a 79-68 Cambodian win that announced the hosts intention of winning it all, at all costs.

Despite the loss, the Philippines, now 1-1 after an opening victory over Malaysia, is still expected to secure a ticket to the crossover semifinals with a victory over Singapore on Saturday.

Meanwhile, bugged by a nagging sports hernia, Cray, 34, battled through the pain to clock 50.03 seconds at the Morodok Techno National Stadium, easily beating Natthapon Dansungnoen of Thailand (50.73) and Calvin Quek of Singapore (50.75).

Cray gave the Philippines its third gold in athletics after the record pole vault win of EJ Obiena and the breakthrough victory of long jumper Janry Ubas.

He delivered the country’s 27th gold here on a day Pinoy athletes, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, struggled anew against the gold-churning machines of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Starting the day in sixth place, the Pinoy contingent stayed there as of 8:30 p.m., with the Malaysian squad not far behind in seventh.

By Riera U. Mallari

DON’T be surprised if you see FilAmerican Eric Cray flashing the no. 6 sign, ala basketball superstar Michael Jordan.

Because in these parts, he is the GOAT (greatest of all time) on the track.

The ageless Cray added a never-heard-of 6th straight 400-m hurdles’ gold to his growing legend, hence the finger sign, to go with two others outside of his pet event, to crown himself as the Southeast Asian Games’ most successful trackster, if he ain’t already is.

“A year after COVID, five (titles) and now six (like) Jordan, six and O. That’s a little thing I got going with my coach,” said the 34-year-old Cray, whose victory was made all the more impressive by the fact that he ran hurt.

Bugged by a nagging sports hernia, Cray weathered the pain to storm to a 50.03-second clocking in his favorite event, to beat Thailand’s Natthapon Dansungnoen (50.73) and Singapore’s Calvin Quek (50.75). The Philippines’ other entry, Alhryan Labita placed 7th in 53.89.

Cray’s time was way below his own Philippine record of 48.98, achieved at the IAAF World Challenge in Moratalaz, Madrid in 2016, but it was enough to give him a sixth consecutive 400m hurdles’ crown and eighth gold overall. His other two came in the 100m during the 2015 Singapore games and the 4x100 mixed relay in the 2019 edition at the New Clark City Stadium in Tarlac.

“I got a little bit of pain. It’s been lingering for two months, but I manage,” said Cray, catching his breath as a swarm of reporters surrounded him. “This means everything. This is a product of hard work, dedication.”

“You know, we just showed a lot of perseverance. I have a lot of drive, dedication for 10 years, ups and downs after injuries and everything I’ve been through,” said Cray, who is aching to make a return to the Olympics, to be held in Paris in 2024. He last made the Olympics in Rio in 2016, before injury forced him to skip the qualifying for the 2020 (2021) Tokyo games.

The next step is the Asian Championships, which is a qualifying tournament for the Olympiad.

“That is the goal,” said Cray, who is still undecided on whether to shoot for a 7th straight 400m hurdles’ gold when the biennial meet is held in Thailand in 2025.

“I gotta qualify first in Paris (2024), then I’ll take it from there,” he said.

Of course, he will aim for no. 7. Because in these parts, Cray is king.

Vietnam showed the way with 57 gold medals, just one ahead of the Cambodian side that nearly swept all the gold medals staked for the day in kun khmer, a martial art indigenous to Cambodians, and three ahead of Thailand.

Indonesia moved up to fourth, followed by the resurgent Singaporean squad in fifth.

Unless the other members of the national squad who are still in contention step up, the Philippines faces the grim prospects of finishing sixth or, worse, seventh. The country finished seventh in the medal tally in 2013 when the games were held in Myanmar with a measly haul of 29 gold, 34 silver and 38 bronze medals.

Among those who could play savior for the country are the boxers, nine of whom are in the finals, led by Tokyo Olympians Nesty Petecio and Carlo Paalam. The others are Rogen Ladon, Ian Clark Bautista, Paul Bascon, John Marvin, Irish Magno, Riza Pasuit and Petecio’s younger brother, Norlan.