HOME to some of the top riders in the country, the Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance team is looking to do its share and do well in delivering top medals in the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam in November.
Speaking at the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday, Standard Insurance chairman Ernesto “Judes” Echauz said they are confident that their team will be prominently represented in the biennial sporting meet and that they will try their best to win gold.
He said he expects at least 10 of his riders to be part of the national team that will compete in eight events in road race and two events in duathlon.
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Among the riders under their stable are Ronald Oranza, Jan Paul Morales, Emmanuel Comendador, George Oconer and Junrey Navarra (men’s), and Jermyn Prado, Kate Velasco, Mathilda Krogg and Marriane Grace Dacumos (women).
“They’ve been training for two months. They will be very competitive,” said Mr. Echauz, who apart from a staunch supporter of cycling and duathlon is also the president of the Philippine Sailing Association.
The Standard Insurance male riders have been training in Naic, Cavite, while the female athletes are based in Subic.
“In Naic, we have a building with 14 rooms, with a swimming pool and a gym that is comparable to the top gyms here in Manila. The place is very conducive to training,” said Mr. Echauz.
In the 2019 SEA Games which the country hosted, the Philippines won three gold medals on top of four silver and four bronzes in cycling, including BMX and mountain bike.
It is something Mr. Echauz said they hope to help improve come the Vietnam Games from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2.
The Standard Insurance executive they will continue to support cycling and duathlon for they are passionate about them and believe they are sports Filipinos can excel in. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo