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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Williams, Frank relish first competition on PH soil

Williams, Frank relish first competition on PH soil

Published Mar 23, 2023 07:25 am
Fil-Heritage athletes and US-based Umajesty Williams and Angel Frank both relished their first taste of competition on Philippine soil but reconnecting to their old roots made their stints even more special. *Umajesty Williams (left) and Angel Frank (Reynald Magallon)*



Frank, the winner of the women’s 400-meter run, enjoyed discovering more about her father’s homeland but more importantly was glad to finally run in front of a good-sized Filipino crowd at the City of Ilagan Sports Complex. “It kinda surprised me to see how many people came especially coming from different nations and I think it added more excitement and hype to just run fast and like represent my school and the Philippines well,” said the Fil-American standout who got to celebrate her birthday with a sweet victory after clocking 53.69 seconds in her lone event in the Philippine Athletics Championships. Born to a Fil-American father who traced his roots to Southern Leyte, Frank was introduced to Filipino food and culture and immediately fell in love with dishes like caldereta which became her instant favorite after getting a taste of it during her stay in the country. Experiencing the passion of the Filipinos on and off the tracks, Frank expressed her intentions to also fly the country’s colors in the future – hopefully in the upcoming 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia. “(The goal) It’s definitely to be part of the national team. I know I had to go through it the way every Filipino citizen and person does it, running at the national meet so that’s the best way to do it,” said Frank. Williams, for his part, also relished racing against some of the top national athletes after topping the 400m men’s open with a time of 47.15 seconds. “Amazing, I have a lot of fun. Everyone I raced against were very nice people, very good competitors. They were always very supportive even though they're running against me. And we all just wanted to have a good race and run as fast as we all could,” said Williams, who was part of the national team pool. Admittedly still recovering from an Achilles tendonitis, Williams said the win boosted his confidence as he hopes to represent the country in bigger events. “It's reassuring. It helps build my confidence to let me know that I can do anything that I set my mind to and with the right mental state, the right training and the right healthy habits, I can achieve what I want to” he added.

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Philippine Athletics Champioships umajesty williams Angel frank
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