Every year, the best athletes from the Southeast Asian region come out to compete in one of the most important sporting events in the world, the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). This year, the Philippines will host the 30th edition of the event, which will begin on November 30 and close on December 11.
For the past two iterations, the Philippines had ranked sixth in the standings. It is important to note, however, that the country’s representatives amassed a total of 3,351 medals, comprising 918 gold, 1076 silver, and 1357 bronze, over the course of SEA Games history. With this feat, the country currently ranks fourth in the all-time SEA Games medal tally.
With five months remaining to prepare for the games, Filipino athletes participating in the 56 different sports have jumpstarted rigorous training. DLSU Lady Paddlers Emy Dael and Jannah Romero did not waste another minute, flying to South Korea together with the Philippine Table Tennis National Team last July 2 to train in Hannam University in Daejeon.
Before they embarked on their three-month training, The LaSallian caught up with the two Lady Paddlers to find out their motivations and aspirations while they gear up for their training abroad in preparation for the upcoming SEA Games.
Donning blue and red
After successfully capping off UAAP Season 81 with the Rookie of the Year award, Romero shared that she is grateful for the chance to represent the country this time. “I’m happy to be part of the team, because all my hard work and sacrifices [have] paid off,” said Romero.
Dael expressed the same sentiments, “To carry the name of our country in international [trainings and] tournaments is such an honor for me.” However, as an opportunity as great as this is presented to an athlete, there comes the possible additional pressure. The Lady Paddler team captain admitted that she feels a bit of pressure playing in a bigger arena, “It’s not just your school you’re representing but the whole country.” The Lasallian takes this as a challenge to help her improve as a player and as a representative of the country.
Goal-setting and key mindsets
Although the Lasallians can bask in the glory of vying for a SEA Games medal in their homeland, they have yet to conquer trainings in foreign territories. To Dael, their two to three months worth of conditioning in Korea is something they should not take for granted. “We need to focus on improving ourselves in [a] span of two months,” the UAAP Season 80 Most Valuable Player knows for a fact that it’s going to be tiresome, but it’s all to make sure that their efforts will not go to waste.
Having goals in mind is already getting half of the process done, and the Lady Paddlers both agree that they have their sights set on a SEA Games gold medal. In order to get the gold, Romero shared her principal mindset during their stay in Korea, “Focus [in] every training. I always think that I want to give glory to our country.”
“Our Korean coach, coach Kwon Misook, always [tells] us to only think of getting a medal in [the] SEA Games,” Dael expressed that she will have a sharp focus on that objective first. The Lasallian also believes that it is necessary to set a good pace and to take things “one goal at a time” in order to build momentum. Ultimately, she wants to achieve mental toughness while gaining more exposure during her stay in Korea.
For the community and the country
Before leaving the country, the two Lasallians stringently trained in the Philippine Sports Commission courts together with the Philippine Table Tennis Federation (PTTF). Romero specified that the team would train everyday from morning until evening. Table tennis trainings would occur from 5:30 to 7 am, 9:30 am to 12 pm, 2:30 to 5 pm, and 6 to 9 pm.
Dael hopes that the team can get enough support from the PTTF community as the country’s representatives have a good shot at leveling the playing field, “I know and believe we’re really not that far in terms of skills to other countries.” In the end, more than anything, clinching a medal in the SEA Games is more than a personal achievement for Dael, “If we can get a medal in [the] SEA Games, it will surely change our lives [and] also [the] table tennis community in [the] Philippines.”
