Filipino Frederick Ramirez made good on his promise of winning the gold medal at the Thailand Open Track and Field Championships.
On June 15, he topped the men’s 400-meter event in 46.58 seconds, a new tournament record that eclipsed the 46.77 set by a local runner.
Filipino Michael Carl Del Prado settled for the silver medal with a time of 46.82s, while Indonesian Muhammad Ramdham FIT clocked 47.43s to take the bronze medal.
Ramirez promised to win the gold medal as a gift to national coach Jojo Posadas, who is also his mentor at Jose Rizal University.
“I’m really happy because coach Jojo came here in Thailand, he paid for his trip. It’s his birthday on June 20 and the gold medal is my gift to him,” said the 26-year-old Ramirez in an interview on Monday morning.
“It’s my first time to join the Thailand Open and I want to perform well,” said Ramirez, who clocked 47.82s in the eliminations held on the morning of June 14. He registered 46.78s in the afternoon semifinal.
“It’s a good break for Frederick,
it’s his first time to compete as an individual in 400m in the Thailand Open. He had a season’s best, which is his second best. His personal best is 46.53s,” said Posadas. “I am happy because he fulfilled his promise of a birthday gift to me with his gold medal.”
“I’m still a little tired from the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) last week. I only had four days of recovery rest,” added the 6-foot-1 runner, who saw action in the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 4x400m events and was named Most Valuable Player for leading JRU to its three straight and 10th overall title.
At the NCAA, Ramirez set new records in the 400m and 200m events and pocketed the gold in the 4x400m relay and the bronze in the 800m. He clocked 46.95 seconds in the 400m to eclipse his 48.03s performance last year. He ruled the 200m in 21.43s to erase the 21.93s record of fellow Heavy Bomber Russel Galleon six years ago.
Ramirez was born in Ilocos Sur and raised in Sto. Tomas, La Union. He is the youngest among five siblings, all boys.
He debuted at the 2019 Manila SEAG (Southeast Asian Games) where he won the 4x400m relay bronze medal with Edgardo Alejan Jr., Michael Carlo Del Prado, and Joyme Sequita. At the 2023 Cambodia SEAG, he got the bronze in the 400m and the gold in the 4x400m relay with Del Prado, Sequita. and Fil-Am Umajesty Williams.
Source: Philippines News Agency
