Last Updated on March 5, 2023 by Andrew Pirie
2014 ASG Athletics Profiles Girls
Anjelica De Josef
The new opportunities coming up for Anjelica De Josef being her first meet in Manila, yet Anjelica one of the younger members of the team at 15 is staying humble.
“But I’m still just Anjelica,” says the girl from Lezo High school who is coached by her sister Sheryl who is also a teacher at that school.
Besides Bryan Pachecho, Anjelica is the only returning athlete from last year to be retained. She also runs her races barefoot.
Making friends fast she was joined in an early morning road run by long-time rival and now teammate Jie Ann Calis and Palaro 400 Champion Leah Ann Creer.
At 12 years old she medalled in her first palaro the 800 elementary race was won by her WV teammate Joneza Mie Sustituedo, 2.21.5 with Anjelica clocking 2.21.6 both runners in bare feet breaking the 2.24.4 Palaro Record set the year before by another WV athlete Louielyn Pamatian. De Josef then placed third in 1500 with Sustituedo lowering her palaro record from 4.57 to 4.53.
2012 Palaro De Josef won the 400 (1.02.3) and 800 (2.18.8) a new palaro record. She was runner-up in 1500 to Jieann Calis improving her best time from 5.03 to 4.49.9.
Due to the strength of WV De Josef in her first year in high school in 2013 failed to qualify for the 400 and 1500. Instead of just making it in the 800 she did make the most of her one event as she took more than a second off the 1995 Palaro Record of Dely Condes, with a 2.17.2 (PB).
At the Batang Pinoy Finals in Bacolod in a final burst of speed in 1500 she got the better of Sustituedo 4:52.45 to 4:52.48, to go with her 2.21.39 win in the 800. She was second to Jaycie Beronio in the 400.
In 2014 De Josef finished outside the medals in 5th (1.01.8) the event was won by Creer (59.3). She did defend her 800 titles in 2.17.7 (albeit not as fast as the previous year).
Her next performance was a new personal best of 59.1 in the 400 at Kalibo.
Anjelica is lined up for the 400, 800, and 4×400 at the ASEAN School Games. This will be her second time to represent the Philippines in the same meet last year in Vietnam she finished 7th in the 800 and 5th in 1500.
Anjelica and Jieanne feat. The Leyte Girls
In the other room were the Five Leyte girls, survivors of Yolanda and for a time wards of the state at the Rizal Memorial. I first met them when the PSC took them to Enchanted Kingdom.
The Girls are coached by another brilliant Grassroots coach who is also the college coach at Perpetual University, Trece Academia who is also a very good motivational speaker and helps to look after the team.
The girls were also joined by Anjelica De Josef of Aklan the Palaro Champion in 800 and Jieann Calis the 1500 and 3000 Palaro Champion. I was very impressed at how they all seemed to become friends fast, which was touching as a lot of them had never spoken to each other before. They were all sitting on two beds together sharing blankets trying to stay warm in the air con room.
The girls didn’t speak too much English; however, Melissa Escoton the Palaro Champion in the Hurdles from Leyte, and Jieann Calis made efforts to communicate.
15-year-old Calis who is well under 5’0 tall and possibly the best athlete on the whole team, and looking towards golds in the team.
Even though they didnt have much to say they liked to hear what I had to say.
I had the three boys and seven girls in the room and I explained to them the scaled selection
method that was used to select the team. The athlete’s eyes lit up when they comprehended this, I could tell they liked the fairness in the selection policy. They seemed to become more motivated when the possibility of future meets was brought up.
This is a talented team that I know given the right motivation and development can go a long way in the years to come. It’s good knowing they now live in a system in which the athletes are chosen not on coaches’ prerogative, connections, or opinions but in a measurable justifiable open selection system based on how well they perform.
The Athletes will be evaluated after the meet based on how well they do here and sufficient constructive feedback must be given to help them become better athletes in further meets.
Jeanne Calis
Palaro Champion Jieann Calis favorite for gold in 2 events.[/caption]
Only 15 years old but showing an extreme amount of promise in the long-distance events is Jieann Calis.
The pint-sized Calis who is well under 5’0 tall has shown an incredible amount of heart leading up to this competition. She is trained by coach Rodelyn at Looc National High School in Northern Mindanao. The witty teenager is quite often the spokesperson for her fellow athletes.
With the chance to win two gold medals, Calis is arguably the best athlete on the team. Her running style is reminiscent of the 2005 SEA Games 5000 and 10,000m Champion Mercidita Manipol. For sure Calis if she continues improving the way she has been these past few years, will have a good future in the 3000m Steeples, 5000, and 10000 at SEA Senior level.
First appearing at the Palaro as an 11-year-old, Calis finished last in the 1500m elementary final in 5:16.8.
The following year in Dapitan she did not participate.
However, in 2012 the Elementary field got the shake-up when Calis returned to Break the Palaro Record in 1500 in the exceptional time of 4:48.9, which is good enough for a top 3 UAAP Finish that year. She held off WV Anjelica De Josef at 4:49.9 with both girls clocking under the Palaro Elementary Record of 4.53.10 by Sustiedo of WV the year before. A record that Calis still holds to this day.
De Josef held off Calis 2.18.8 to 2.21.1 breaking the elementary 800 Record.
2013 Palaro, Calis now in their first year of high school was runner-up to Joida Gagnao another talent from WV 4.45.2 to 4.48.2. She was also second to Gagnao in the 3000 with both girls breaking the Palaro Record 10.22.6 and 10.28.1 which had been set by Sustituedo at 10.34.1. Sustituedo had to settle for bronze in 10.44.1.
Improving her best time to 2.20.1 in 800 was only a good fourth where Anjelica De Josef broke the record.
At the Palaro in Laguna, Calis improved her time to 2.18.6 this time with Bronze again behind De Josef. She won 1500 in a New Palaro Record of 4.44.4 breaking the record of Gagnao who limped home last in that race and was unable to participate in the 3000. Calis won her second gold in the 3000.
Her 1500m time is the second fastest in the senior ranking lists in 2014.
More recently Calis won the Milo Little Olympics in Marikina 800 but was pipped by Marisol Amarga of NCR in 1500. She is also qualified for the finals of the Batang Pinoy.
Her times of 4.44.4 and 10.26.6 are below the 4.47.58 and 10.28.49 times that won the 2013 edition of the ASEAN School Games in Vietnam.
Aira Teodosio
From Silay Negros Province,
Aira Teodosio was born August 15, 1997.
She won her first Palaro in the Discus with a throw of 34.11m in 2013.
She came back the next year in Laguna to successfully defended her discus title with 34.75m. The following month she added the PNG Junior Discus title with 31.02m.
Recruited by UST Teodosio, rates her sports heroes as Four Times SEA Games Gold Medalist Arniel Ferrera and SEA Games 2011 Bronze Medalist Loralie Sermona.
Aira has a very high goal of making the Olympic Games. Considering our last representation at this level was by Josephine Dela Vina who holds the oldest records in the books in Discus (54.75, 1971) and Juniors (48.48, 1965) placed 11th at the Olympic Games in this event in the late 60s and early 70s. But the first step is to land a medal at the ASEAN School Games.
Her current coach is for training pool athlete Joey Ming Lao. In high school, she was coached by Mr. Juvian Zubiaga.
She is studying BPE majoring in Sports and wellness management.
I choose UST because of the better opportunities that for sure await me. I believe UST will bring out the best in me in any aspect of my life.
Glaiza Salcedo
Glaiza Salcedo is one of the many athletes from Northern Mindanao that is now a happy member of the UST Tigers in Manila. It wasn’t entirely a smooth ride as at one stage she nearly walked away from the sport altogether.
Born November 2, 1996, she hails from Cagayan De Oro. Her college coach was Benedicta Caroro, at Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive high school.
Salcedo played her first Palaro in 2nd-year of high school, she did not win a medal in 2011, and the following year in 2012 she finished just outside the medals with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash.
Disappointed and frustrated with two years in a row with no medal Salcedo decided to give up track and field and try Basketball. She played as Point Guard for the NMRAA Team.
Talented in both sports the trainers and coaches were pushing Glaiza to play both sports so at the 2013 Palaro in Dumaguete she joined the NMRAA team in Basketball and Athletics. She spent only two months preparing for the sprint events. The NMRAA Basketball team could only manage seventh but Salcedo made the right choice by resuming track and field.
Salcedo took two Silvers in the 2013 Palaro in the 100 and 200 behind province mate and buddy Eloiza Luzon who later agreed to continue the journey together to UST after they were offered a scholarship. Shortly after joining the National Games Salcedo finished with the bronze.
Played her first race for UST at the 2013 PNG Salcedo and finished last in the JR Womens Final. However, she bounced back from this with a Silver medal behind Luzon at the Philippine University Games. At the UAAP she finished a credible fourth place in the Womens 100m Dash.
The following year Salcedo finished with the Bronze medal in the PNG Junior 100m Dash for the first time beating Luzon in a major event. In the next encounter in the Junior Finals of the Weekly Relays in November it was Luzon this time that beat Salcedo.
This year Salcedo improved her best time to 12.4ht and has been consistent with that cooking having run it 4 times already. In the 200 she brought down her PB from 25.8 to 25.4.
In the ASEAN School Games, Glaiza Salcedo will make her debut for the Philippines running the 200 Meter Dash, an event in which she has had big improvements recently due to the opportunities of the PATAFA-PSC Weekly Relays. She will also team up with her long-time friend Eloiza Luzon in the 4×100.
A wise decision to stay with Track and Field as it led to the ASEAN School Games. Salcedo idol in athletics is sprinter/jumper Khay Santos. Salcedo ambition is to be known in the sport.
Jenelyn Arle
Javelin Thrower Jenelyn Arle, 18 is playing her first and last time in the ASEAN School Games.
She was born September 2, 1996, in Victoria, Northern Samar. Arle is currently a 3rd-year sports science student at the University of the Philippines. She is coached by William Ortiz.
Arle began off as the Milo Little Olympics Champion in 2010 and 2011 in the Javelin. At the more challenging Palarong Pambansa, she won the Bronze medal the following year.
Arle finished with the Bronze medal in the Javelin at the UAAP.
Arle’s personal best of 39.39m came on August 31 this year during the weekly relays, she is currently ranked #5 in the Philippines on the senior ranking lists. Part of a new exciting bumper crop of young Filipina javelin throwers who are emerging including Evalyn Palabrica of (FEU) and 15-year-old Cerah Moren (Fil-Heritage).
Arle competes knowing she will throw a bit further with the 500-gram as her best performance is with the 600-gram.
When asked why she took up Javelin.
I throw the javelin because I enjoy the challenge of learning it. steps in throwing the jav aren’t that easy to learn. I do not perfect the steps yet until now and tried different techniques over and over again. and I have this goal to beat Evalyn Palabrica before I graduate.
She has mutual respect for Palabrica who she has not been able to beat for three years in college. The National Junior Record Holder and member of the training pool is both the idol and rival Arle.
Arle would like to have a good performance here, if not win a medal at least throw over 42m with the lighter javelin. She is hoping that her debut for the Philippines could eventually lead to becoming a member of the national team one day.
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Andrew was elected Vice President of the Association of Track and Field Statisticians in 2020 after being a member for 7 years.
He has worked as a PSC Consultant and Research Assistant from 2013-2015, Consultant, and Sprint Coach at Zamboanga Sports Academy from 2015-2017. And Currently is Consultant Coach with VMUF 2021-
Current editor and chief of Pinoyathletics.info, and has recently done consultancy work for Ayala Corp evaluating the Track and Field Program.
Coaches Sprints, Middle and Jump events he is Level 3 Athletics Australia Coaching Certification in Sprints and Hurdles.
Currently working towards a Masters Degree in Education.
He can be contacted on [email protected]
You can find more information on Coaching here
http://www.pinoyathletics.info/coaching-2/