Top 10 SEA Athletes Philippines Track & Field

Article By Andrew Pirie

ATFS Statistician

#1 Elma Muros, 15 Individual Golds

 

 

Muros attended her first SEA Games in 1981 at the age of 14. One of the youngest ever

competitors in Philippine Track and Field. She won her first gold medal in the Long Jump at

at the age of 16. She has the most number of individual medals in Track and Field tied

equally with Jeniffer Tin Lay of Myanmar. These gold medals were won over a long period

of 18 years from 1983 to 2001.

 

Among these achievements included eight long jump titles, the sprint 100-200 double at the

1995 SEA Games, wins in both Hurdles events, and 2 titles in the Heptathlon.

 

Elma now the womens coach at University of the East still holds the Phi Records in the

Hepathlon and 400 Hurdles.

 

#2 Lydia De Vega Mercado 9  Individual Golds

 

While she exceeded Elma at the Asian Level having won golds, whereas Elma would only

manage Bronze. Lydia was not as consistent at the SEA Level. Like Elma she started young

at the SEA Games playing her first SEA Games in 1979 age 15. Her first set of golds acme as

a 17 year old in Manila winning the 200, 400. Earlier on Lydia even won the long jump title

once. She would then go onto win several titles by then focusing on the 100 and 200.

 

Now living in Singapore as a coach De Vega still holds the Phi Records in the 100 and 200m

Dash.

 

Interestingly the Philippines even until now has never won a title in both women’s relays.

 

#3 Hector Begeo  7 Individual Golds

 

 

Hailing from Baguio at 18 years old was already an Asian Games Bronze medalist before he

even won his first gold at SEA Games level. Begeo would set a legacy of Filipino Steeple

Chasing that was carried on by Buenavista, Herrera and Ulboc. Like De Vega and Muros was

a product of the Legendary Gintong Alay Program of Michael Keon and a protege of

Australian Coach Tony Benson.

 

Hector would win 6 of the 8 SEA Games titles in the Men’s Steeple Chase and also one title

in the 5000m.

 

Now living in Australia, Hector still holds the Philippine Record in the Steeple Chase.

#4 Rene ‘The Calve-man’ Herrera 5 Individual Golds

 

 

One of the heirs of Begeo, was the Guimaras native Herrera, who spent most of his athletic

career training in Baguio under the watch of master coach ‘Super’ Mario Castro. Rene would

win a streak of 5 straight titles from 2003 to 2011 in the Steeple Chase. Before being

succeeded by Christopher Ulboc. Rene befriended Olympic Champion Mo Farah of England

during the London Olympics.

 

While still an athlete Herrera guided Jessa Mangsat to a then National Record in the Women’s

Steeple Chase he is now currently a national coach.

 

#5 Agrifina Dela Cruz 5 Individual Golds

 

Dela Cruz another product of the Gintong Alay won 3 back to back titles in the 100 Hurdles

in 1983 to 1987 and 400 Hurdles 1983 to 1985.

 

 

#6 Erlinda Lavandia 4 Individual Golds

 

 

The sole Gold medalist in Athletics for the Philippines in 1977. She went onto win three in a

throw in 1979 and 1981. Losing her title and then regaining it in 1985.

 

#7 Isidro Del Prado  4 Golds

 

 

 

Although he performed with further merit at the Asian level. Del Prado would also pick up 3

400m titles and a 800m title at the SEA Games. He had a great rivalry with Malaysian

Sprinter Mohamed Nordin Jadi who got the better of him in two SEA Games before he

regained the title in 1989. An Olympian in Tokyo 1984. Del Prado was a part of the

legendary Bicol Express who still hold the 4×400 National Record as well as this Del Prado

still holds the National Record in the 400m at 45.57, a time which still would qualify for an

 

Olympic Games more than 20 years after it was originally set.

 

Although he never won the Asian Games, Del Prado won two Asian titles.

 

Del Prado a retired policeman was formerly national head coach, before taking up the head

coaching role for Brunei Athletics. His son Isidro Del Prado Jr. won a SEA Games gold in

the 4x400m relay in 2013.

 

#8 Marestella Torres 4 Individual Golds

 

From Negros near Dumaguete, Marestella Torres would emerge in the tradition of De Vega,

Muros and Lerma Gabito as the fourth women in a good lineage of women’s long jumpers.

Torres succeeded Lerma as the SEA Games champion after being silver in 2003. When it was

held at home in Manila in 2005, she would go to win the title until 2011. In 2011 she leapt

an impressive 6.71m which was a South East Asian and SEA Games meet record. Torres

even went as far as to win the Asian title in one year.

 

6.71m made her a legitimate qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics, Torres had been sent to

Beijing 2008 as a wild card entry.

 

Torres left athletics, and missed out on the 2013 SEA Games to give birth to her son. She

made a return and was able to pick up a bronze medal in the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore

at the age of 34.

 

Torres mark of 6.71m is still the SEA, SEA Games Meet and National Record.

 

#9 Eduardo Buenavista 4 Individual Golds

 

Buenavista won 4 golds in 4 different events Steeples, 5k, 10k and Marathon.Originally the

SEA Games Champion one time in the Steeple Chase. Buenavista won the 5000m in Manila

in 2005, he was controversially disqualified for alleged excessive arm contact with Thai

Boonthung in the 10000m after having won the race. He won his last Gold medal at SEA

Games in 2007.

 

Hailing from Cotobato he was also trained by the legendary ‘Super’ Mario Castro and spent

most of his career in Baguio and in the road races.

 

Buenavista would win the Bronze medal in the Asian Games in the 10,000m. And went to

the 2000 Olympic Games.

 

Buenavista after missing the qualification for the Marathon in the 2013 SEA Games, came

out in 2015 with the fastest time he had ran in several years and a SEA leading time. He lined

up at the age of 37 at the Singapore SEA Games but failed to finish due to food poisoning.

 

#10 Arniel Ferrera 4 Individual Golds

 

 

Also hailing from Negros but this time Bacolod. Arniel Ferrera at 20 was the bronze medalist

in 2001. He went onto win titles from 2003 to  2009. Before conceding it to Tantiphong

Phatchaiya of Thailand. Arniel was not able to land a medal at a higher level meet. He held

the National Record until it was broken in 2015 by Fil-Heritage athlete Caleb Stuart. He still

holds the National Junior Record in the Hammer and Discus.

 

Came out of retirement in 2017 at the Malaysia SEA Games and was able to capture a

Bronze at the age of 36.

 

#11 Eric Shauwn Cray 4 Indiv Golds

Arguably the greatest of all the Fil-Heritage athletes to compete at the SEA Games. Cray in

his first SEA Games in Myanmar in 2013. Cray broke a 28 year medal drought in the 400

Hurdles becoming the 4th Filipino to win this title.

 

In 2015 in Singapore Eric not only defended his SEA Games title. He also broke the SEA

Games Record in 400 Hurdles with a 49.40 run. Eric also became the first Filipino male ever

to win not just the gold but any medal in the 100 Meter Dash.

 

Cray then clocked a 48.98 and qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games. He respectively made

it to the semi-finals in Rio. In 2017 he won the Asian title in 400 Meter Hurdles in India.

 

In the 2017 SEA Games Cray defended his 400 Hurdles narrowly over Vietnam’s Quach

Cong Lich. But due to a rather difficult schedule lost his 100m title to Khairul Jantan of

Malaysia.

 

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