Sports
4 gold medals, target ng PH Underwater Hockey team
Target ng Philippine hockey team na maging maganda ang kanilang performance sa kanilang debut game sa 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG). Layon umano nilang masungkit ang 4 na gintong medalya.
Sa pagbisita sa 49th TOPS sa Intramuros, Manila, sinabi ni Dennis Valdes, presidente ng Philippine Underwater Hockey Federation, na malaking tulong ang pagdating ng mga New Zealand at Australian expert players upang matutukan sa ensayo ang team. Dagdag pa niya, ang sipag at dedikasyon ng kanyang players ay magbubunga ng mga medalya.
“I believe the Philippine UWH Team will do very well at the SEA Games. I am personally hoping to get four gold medals out of the four events. Of course, this cannot be guaranteed, but our athletes are training very hard for this goal,” saad ni Valdes.
Apat na gintong medalya ang nakataya sa men’s 4×4 at 6×6, at women’s 4×4 at 6×6 competition categories. Nakatakda sa Disyembre 2 at 3 sa New Clark City sa Tarlac ang Underwater hockey events.
Pagtataya ng isang taon ng kanilang buhay
“On our SEAG journey last December, I told the prospective athletes that I want one year of their lives. This has not been an exaggeration. All have sacrificed an enormous amount of time this year. They have had to ask their families for understanding, their bosses at work for support, and most importantly, their own selves for the drive and capacity to keep training for an entire year just to peak during the week of SEAG,” dagdag pa ni Valdez.
Inaasahan na magpapakita ng husay sina forward Topz Policarpo ng men’s team at forward Nadj Buenafe ng women’s team. Aminado si Valdes na ang Singapore ang pinakamahirap nilang katunggali habang ang Malaysia at Indonesia ay magiging mahigpit din nilang kalaban.
Ang underwater hockey ay isang sport kungs aan ang dalawang teams ay magtutulak ng pitsa sa ilalim ng swimming pool gamit ang isang hockey stick patungo sa goal ng katunggaling koponan.
