It is never easy to be a student athlete, especially if one is part of the national team. These unsung heroes have sacrificed much for love of country, and most of them have gone unnoticed.
Setbacks did not deter our young athletes from giving their all when they got to compete. One of them is Cid Jesson Ramil, who won a gold in track and field at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games late last year in Myanmar.
This native of Dingras, Ilocos Norte, was the protégé of former Ilocos Norte Gov. Michael Keon, who referred him to the track team of Far Eastern University. Ramil had just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, major in Music, Arts, Physical and Health Education.
The event Ramil hurdled in the SEA Games is probably one of the most mentally and physically grueling there is—the decathlon, a combination of 10 track and field events: the 100-meter sprint, long jump, shotput, high jump, 400-m sprint, 110-m hurdles, pole vault, javelin throw, 1,500-m run, and discus throw.
Physical strength isn’t all that’s needed to win in this event; a keen mental strategy is also essential. Since the event uses a point system, even if you didn’t do well in one event, there’s still hope for winning a gold medal. Ramil says, “One has to be positive during the game, and not give in to nerves.” Athletes from Vietnam and Indonesia were the strongest in the competition.
Ramil bagged the gold for the country. It was no easy task since he had to train in Baguio with the rest of the Philippine team. He would shuttle to Manila, arriving early Monday morning
to attend his classes at FEU, and go up back to Baguio to train. But thanks to his flexible class schedule, he was able to balance academics and sports.
Now that he has graduated, Ramil also has thoughts of joining the Air Force someday. But for now he’s making the most of what he loves doing—running, jumping, leaping, and throwing for honor and country.
Photography Toff Tiozon
Styling Luis Carlo San Juan
Grooming Justine del Rosario
Hairstyle Jet Babas
Clothes by Human
