Former University of Mindanao (UM) standout Sonny Wagdos, whose family resides in Davao City, clinched two bronze medals for the Philippines in the Taiwan Athletics Open 2024 over the weekend..
The 30-year-old athlete, born in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, achieved his season’s best time of 14 minutes and 36.79 seconds in the men’s 5,000-meter run on Sunday, June 2, trailing Trung Cuong Nguyen of Vietnam and Robi Syianturi of Indonesia who took gold and silver, respectively.
Nguyen finished in 14:18.03 while Syianturi completed the race in 14:36.79.
Reflecting on his achievement, Wagdos, in an interview with SunStar Davao on Monday, June 3, humorously said, “Nakachamba pa ko gahapon (I got luck yesterday, Sunday).”
His 5,000m bronze followed his bronze finish in the men’s 1,500m on Saturday, June 1, where he set a new personal best time of 3:51.50.
Expressing satisfaction with his performance, Wagdos noted, “Nindot na nga time kay ang national record sa 1,500m is 3:47, mao medyo duol nalang gyud (It’s a good time because the national record for 1,500m is 3:47, so it’s really close).”
He confessed to feeling nervous during the race due to the presence of strong competitors.
“Overwhelming kaayo kay nag personal best time gyud ko. Isa gyud ni sa akong pinaka-memorable na dula (It was really overwhelming because I achieved a personal best time. This race is definitely one of the most memorable for me),” the consistent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games medalist added. MLSA
