Last Updated on May 1, 2022 by Andrew Pirie
John Albert Mantua Most Improved Athlete in 2022
Mantua Career Progression Shotput
John Albert Mantua – From Ultimate Underdog chasing the SEA Games Gold
Like some kind of Disneyland movie. John Albert Mantua fairy-tale season continued with yet another big personal best at the Singapore National Open today. Except Mantua had to pinch himself because this was no dream. Well perhaps once it was but now it is very real.
The 29 Year old who is coached by 4x SEA Games Hammer Throw champion the Legendary Arniel Ferrera; was a virtual nobody before his breakthrough performance in Baguio 2 months ago heaving the shot put 17.02m
Catapulting himself to the Top of the SEA Ranking lists and the #2 All-Time Performance in Philippine Athletics Shotput History. And putting himself in as a sure medalist.
Could it get any better for him?
Well, it just did. Mantua has now put himself in the drivers seat for a possible gold at the 2021 SEA Games next month.
Today he captured the Gold Medal at the Singapore Open in the Men’s Shotput. He went over his personal best and 17 meters, not 1 not 2 but 3 times.
A huge throw of 17.33m new personal best and a surprise win over SEA Games Record Holder and defending champion Fil-Heritage athlete William Morrison who threw 16.61m, after 2 years out of the sport with 16.39m and 16.86m this year in the lead up meets in the United States. Well below his personal best of 20.40m and SEA Record of 18.28m.
In 3rd place was Para Athlete Ziyad Zolkefl of Malaysia who has a PB of 17.94m but threw 16.44m.
Morrison became the first Filipino male to ever win SEA Games Gold.
Will it be a glorious double for Big Willie?
or will Mantua become the 2nd Filipino male to win the SEA Games Gold in Shotput?
Singapore Results and Throws Series
| 2016 | 14.67 | Pasig (PHI) | 24 JUN 2016 |
| 2017 | 14.90 | Ilagan (PHI) | 30 MAR 2017 |
| 2018 | 15.85 | Ilagan (PHI) | 31 MAY 2018 |
| 2019 | 16.06 | Capas (PHI) | 01 SEP 2019 |
| 2021 | 16.26 | Baguio City (PHI) | 16 DEC 2021 |
| 2022 | 17.02 | Baguio City (PHI) | 23 FEB 2022 |
BAGUIO CITY – 2022 SEA GAMES Performance Trials
17.02m John Albert Mantua (SEA Games Bronze medal standard 16.40m)
Mantua, a native of General Santos City has secured his spot for the coming 2022 Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam May 12 to 25, 2022. His consistent and accelerated improvement has been contributed by his hard work together with his coach Arniel Ferrera who was a 4x SEA Games Champion himself in the Hammer Throw event.
Progression
- 16.06m Weekly Relays, Capas Sept 1, 2019
- 16.26m Ayala Philippines Athletics Championships, Baguio Dec 31, 2019
- 17.02m SEA Games Trials, Baguio Feb 23, 2021
John Albert Mantua passes SEA Games bronze again in Discus.
The best performer on Sunday, September 1, may have been John Albert Mantua.
Whose mark of 47.73m in the Discus was a new personal best.
The mark exceeded his Personal best of 46.94m, which he threw at the National Open in March at Ilagan.
Mantua won the Weekly Relays Series 3 at New Clark City in the new 20,000-seater stadium for the SEA Games 2019.
John Albert Mantua passes SEA Games bronze again in Discus.
Mantua performances (could be wrong as awaiting official results) were the only mark noted on September 1 that exceeded the SEA Games bronze mark.
The Bronze of the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia was 44.80m.
Despite the fact, that there were only 3 competitors in 2017, Mantua was omitted. Mantua has surpassed the Bronze Mark, which was announced as the criteria to join the SEA Games at the beginning of the live feed on Radyo Pilipinas by none other than PATAFA Technical Director Ma. Jeanette Obiena.
Had Mantua been selected for the 2017 SEA Games with his 2017 best performance of 45.88.
He would have landed the Bronze.
That mark is now a distant footnote as every single Mantua performance this year, in at least 6 competitions he has joined, has surpassed the bronze medal mark.
The Performance now Ranks Mantua 8th in South East Asia.
With a mark of over 50m expected to get the bronze. In fact, in 2015, when there was an entire field of entries, the bronze was 51.02m.
“I’m Focussing more on Discus at that is my better event” said the 26 year old Mantua.
Discus All-Time 4th
He is coached by former 4x SEA Games Champion Arniel Ferrera. Ferrera took the bronze surprisingly at the 2017 SEA Games in Hammer. But it is not expected he will compete as he is more focused on coaching these days.
The Performance of 47.73m bumps Mantua up to 4th on the all-time list of Filipino Men.
Fidel Repizo, the 1991 SEA Games Champion, holds the National Record with 52.10m, followed by SEA Record Holder and 2015 SEA Games Hammer thrower Caleb Stuart 48.10m. And Former Decathlete David Buenavacz 48.04m.
It bumps Mantua up ahead of his coach Arniel Ferrera who has a career-best of 46.98m.
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Discus
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| 1 | Md Irfan Bin Shamshuddin | 16 Aug 95 | MAS | 60.68m |
| 2 | Abdul Rahman Lee | MAS | 50.77m | |
| 3 | Narong Benjaroon | THA | 50.43m | |
| 4 | Thongchai Silamool | 99 | THA | 48.47m |
| 5 | Eric Yee Chun Wai | SGP | 48.32m | |
| 6 | Binh Phan Thanh | VIE | 48.64m | |
| 7 | Hermanto | INA | 48.01m | |
| 8 | Albert Mantua | PHI | 47.73m |
Photo taken by Jerry Oderjerte took at the July 6 Weekly Relays.
Shotput PB Also
On Sunday, Sept 1, Mantua also threw a new PB of 16.05m in the Shot put, which ranks him #5 in South East Asia.
The mark improved on Mantua’s previous best of 15.85m set at the National Open in 2018.
But outside the 17.12m bronze medal standard qualification of the 2017 SEA Games.
Only Fil-Heritage thrower Willie Morrison has hit the Philippines’ mark in the Men’s Shotput.
The mark places Mantua #3 on the All-Time list of Filipino Men.
List of All Athletes who have passed the Bronze Mark of 2017 SEA Games
#3 Mantua takes throws double at National Open
On the first day, the 27-year-old Mantua hurled the Shotput 15.85 meters. The throw was a huge improvement on his 15.22 Personal best set at the Thailand Open earlier in the month.
The throw catapults Mantua from #5 to #3 on the all-time list. He is only now behind the twin towers Eleazer Sunang (16.74m) and Caleb Stuart (16.52m) in the all-time lists now. There were very far behind two athletes from Sabah Malaysia, Brynoth Larry and Zulkifli Saldin, who 14.32m and 14.09m got silver and bronze.
Shot put
- National Title
- #3 All-Time
- #4 SEA Rankings 2018
- Personal Best
- Seasons Best
He then spun the Discus 46.45m to the second-best performance of his career. To do the throws double.
Rogelio De Borja (RP-Ilagan), who had won the gold at the PNG 2 weeks ago, was a very distant silver with 37.65m, and Mark Talisay of La Union took bronze in 36.18m.
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/