PHNOM PENH — In just one giant jump, Janry Ubas shed off the “heartbreak kid” tag he has carried unwillingly since the 2015 Southeast Asian Games and reaped the fruit of his long labor.
Still feeling it after jumping a whopping 8.08 meters in decathlon last Monday, Mr. Ubas turned on his A-game anew and recorded 7.850 meters on his first try to run away with the men’s long jump crown.
“First gold,” he said upon ending a long, arduous journey highlighted by silver medals in his pet event in 2019 and 2021 and bronze in 2017.
The pride of Misamis Oriental made his milestone stint here a success as sweet as grapes when he made a medal upgrade in the men’s decathlon. After a pair of third place finishes, Mr. Ubas took runner-up honors after piling up 6,924 points behind Thai winner Suttisak Singkhon, who won in 7468.
With his gold-silver collection, Mr. Ubas earned the distinction as the winningest in the track and field team here so far. — Olmin Leyba
