KUALA LUMPUR — Filipino-American track star Eric Shawn Cray has declared himself ready to defend his titles in the 100 meters and the 400-meter hurdles in the Southeast Asian Games here, even as he faces stiff competition and a tough schedule.

"Training has been going real good," a visibly upbeat Cray told ABS-CBN News at the Philippine Secretariat on Saturday. "I feel good, no injuries. I'm ready to go and compete."

Cray was one of the Filipino athletes who shone brightest in Singapore two years ago with his two golds, which included a record-setting performance in his pet event, the 400-meter hurdles.

Yet he knows that defending his titles will be tough in Malaysia, especially given the schedule of his events.

"Competition is pretty stiff here, and the scheduling is pretty tight," he acknowledged.

On Tuesday, Cray's schedule starts at 3:10 p.m., in the 100-meter heats. The preliminaries for the 400s are set just 50 minutes later, at 4 p.m.

Should he qualify, as expected, the finals of the 400s is at 8:20 p.m., and the 100 at 9:40 p.m.

But Cray, who represented the country in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 400s, is not letting the tight schedule get in the way of his good mood.

"I just want to do the best I can and hopefully come out with two golds again, and go from there," said Cray. "Hopefully, (we can) get a third in the relay."

"I just want to get ready to compete at the best of my abilities, give my 100%. I'll give my maximum effort," he vowed.

Cray added that despite the potential pitfalls, he is "always confident."

"I'm not backing down from the competition," he stressed. "I'm really excited to compete in the SEA Games again and represent the Philippines."

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