CAPAS, Tarlac – Fil-German race walker Nathaniel Seiler announced his entry into the local track and field scene with a bang Thursday, June 11, with a record-breaking debut in the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships presented by Philippine Sports Commission at the New Clark Athletic Stadium here.
Benefitting from an early-morning start, Seiler, who saw action for Germany in the 50-kilometer walk in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, smashed the 31-year-old record by nearly 54 seconds the old mark of 44 minutes and 22.08 seconds set by Sonny Diaz in the 1995 Chiang Mai Southeast Asian Hames with a winning time of 43:33.38 in the technically-demanding event.
A discovery of former national race walker turned coach Saturnino Salazar, the 30-year-old native of Baden-Baden, Germany, whose personal best is 41.45 minutes, said “I slowed down somewhat when I was way ahead of the Indonesian and could have gone faster had I known the record that I was running after.”
Arriving last Saturday and with Manila six hours ahead of Germany, the athlete was grateful that his one and only event happened early in the morning “because if had it been in the evening then I might have been too sleepy to perform well.”
Indonesia’s Hendro checked in 45:58.88 for while Vincent Vianmar dela Cruz of Spectrum Runners took third in the competition, with ICTSI Foundation as title sponsor, and co-presented by the BCDA and New Clark City.
Seiler’s exploits highlighted the feats of overseas-based Filipino athletes who have stamped their class after two days of the meet sponsored by CEL Logistics, Inc. and UAAGI Auto Group, Inc.
Late Wednesday, Paris Olympian Lauren Hoffman, pole vaulter Eli Cole and sprinter Jessica Laurance, who like Seiler are supported by FILAM Sports, dominated their pet events of the championships also backed by Pocari Sweat Phils., Clark Water, Energya and apparel partner Massiv Sports.
In better shape than last year and her main rival Robyn Lauren Brown, who is on the family way, not around to pose a threat, Hoffmann blasted off the blocks on the way to reclaiming the women’s 400-meter hurdles title in 58.98 seconds.
After an early duel with pole vaulter turned decathlete Hokett delos Santos, Cole, a 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist, was left on his own chasing a higher season best eventually settled for gold in jumping 5.25 meters.
Benefiting from the absence of noted national sprinters Kristina Knott and new women’s 100-meter record holder Zion Corrales Nelson, both nursing injuries, Laurance emerged as the meet’s fastest woman for a second consecutive time in topping the women’s century dash.
In a tight race, the 22-year-old Sydney-born runner emerged triumphant in a winning time of 11.72 seconds, shading national teammate and UAAP and UST varsity standout Lianne Pama (11.85) and Malaysian Izzaful Mussfirah Azzirah (11.86), who came in second and third, respectively.
Fil-Am Drew Tumarak Hill also won a close race in the men’s 100-meter sprint in 10.46 seconds, relegating Singapore’s Marc Brian Louis (10.49) and Anfernee Lopena of the KG Mercuries (10.60) to silver and bronze in the tournament also supported by Dr. Willie Torres, University of Mindanao chairman.
Seiler, who loves road cycling and Tour de France fan, said he first met Salazar, a SEA Games bronze medalist, in 2022 while on vacation in the Philippines, and the latter convinced him to run for his mother’s country.
“I asked him if he (Seiler) could compete for our country in 2022 and he even had a class to teach the fundamentals to promising race walkers then,” Salazar, a heart attack survivor, of their meeting four years ago.
A former soldier-athlete in the German army, Seiler’s immediate target is competing in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan in September and then in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, earning him the distinction of representing two countries in the Summer Games.
“Although I wasn’t able to execute well enough, I am still happy with what I did,” Hoffman, a former Duke University athletic star, said in bagging her third meet title, the last one when it was held at the Philsports oval in Pasig City in 2024.
