Tokyo Olympians Kristina Knott and EJ Obiena lead returning Southeast Asian Games champions when they defend their titles in the 32nd edition of the biennial meet next month in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Knott is coming out to retain her women’s 200-meter crown where she posted a Games record of 23.01sec in the 2019 edition that the country hosted.
Obiena, for his part, is out to keep his SEAG title and eclipse his own Games record of 5.45m he posted in the previous meet.
He is currently ranked No. 6 in the world and also holds the Asian record of 5.93m.
PATAFA President Philip Juico, as authorized by the PATAFA board, formally transmitted their new entry by name list that includes Obiena and 4x100-meter relay member Kurt Baril to the Philippine Olympic Committee on April 8 – a few days after the completion of the historic mediation brokered by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William “Butch” Ramirez with the help of the Office of the Solicitor General and the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc.
Obiena’s inclusion in the lineup boosts the 49-man team as they compete in 39 out of 46 events.
Also returning to defend their crowns are Christine Hallasgo, Eric Cray, Aries Toledo, Janry Ubas, Melvin Calano, Clinton Bautista, Natalie Uy, William Morrison and Sarah Dequinan.
Gonzaga University standouts Said and Yacine Guermali will also be making their SEA Games debut.
The PH team aims to surpass its previous haul of 11 gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals apart from establishing four new Philippine and SEA Games records.