Christine Hallasgo during the women's marathon event of the Southeast Asian Games held in Hanoi, Vietnam. Hallasgo, 2019's gold medallist, placed silver in this year's edition of the biennial tilt. Courtesy: Philippine Sports Commission.
(UPDATE) It's a silver medal finish for Christine Hallasgo in the women's marathon event of the Southeast Asian Games held in Hanoi, Thursday.
Hallasgo clocked in at 2 hours, 56 minutes, and 0.07 seconds, slightly behind Indonesia's Odekta Naibaho, who finished in 2 hours, 55 minutes, and .28 seconds for the gold medal.
Cramps slowed down Hallasgo during the final 600 meters of the stretch, soldiering on but ultimately falling short.
This was slightly faster than the 2 hours, 56 minutes and 56 seconds she recorded when she upset Mary Joy Tabal for the SEA Games gold medal in 2019.
Ngoc Hoa Haong Thi placed third with 2 hours, 57 minutes and 3.5 seconds.
Hallasgo's silver finish capped Team Philippines' run in athletics as the national squad finishing its stint in Hanoi with five gold, seven silver, and 14 bronze medals.
The athletics team had 11 gold, 8 silver, and 8 bronze medals when the competition was held in the New Clark City Athletics Stadium.
In men's marathon action, Richard Salano and Jerald Zabala missed chances for podium finishes.
With the results, Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association head coach Joeffrey Chua still considers the tracksters’ stint in Vietnam a success, citing training struggles during the pandemic.
“This version of the SEA Games is by far the most challenging because of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. But with one SEAG record, five new Philippine national records recorded, and eight personal records established, this can be considered as a very successful campaign for PATAFA national athletes,” Chua said, referring to EJ Obiena setting a new SEA Games record of 5.46 meters when he secured gold.