Juancho Miguel Besana and Justine Ace de Leon are being groomed to rise to the occasion in the absence of main man Carlos Yulo in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
With Yulo prioritizing the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Belgium, the Gymnastics Association of the Philippine president Cynthia Carrion feels exposing Besana and De Leon to topnotch talent will prime them up for the competitions in the Asian Games.
To make that happen, the GAP is sending Besana and De Leon, alongside Yulo, to the FIG World Cup in Cottbus, Germany, from 23 to 26 February and the Doha leg in Qatar from 1 to 3 March.
The Asian Games takes place from 23 September to 8 October while the World Championships in Antwerp happens from 30 September to 10 October.
Yulo is prioritizing the FIG event since it is a qualifying meet for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I’m bringing Miguel in Cottbus because I am training him now for the Asian Games because Caloy won’t be there. I have to have another athlete to take over Caloy so it will be Miguel and Ace De Leon,” said Carrion, who is also the treasurer of the Philippine Olympic Committee.
“I am training two athletes to take over from Caloy. They have to perform well so that’s why we have to expose them to top athletes,” Carrion added.
Both Besana and De Leon were part of the men’s all-around team that snagged the silver medal at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi last year.
With Yulo skipping the Asian Games for the World Championships, Besana and De Leon will lead the campaign against powerhouse nations like China and Japan.
Unlike Yulo, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz is also bypassing a major competition this year but it is not the Southeast Asian Games that the lifter is not taking part in.
Diaz is not flying to Phnom Penh so she can vie and earn points in the Asian Championships that takes place in Jinju, Korea, while Cambodia is busy hosting the SEA Games.
As this developed, Philippine Sports Commission chairperson Richard “Dickie” Bachmann called on the Filipino athletes who are competing under the shadow of their more accomplished teammates ramp up their game.
“It’s a perfect time for other athletes who’s been training to step up and perform for the national team,” Bachmann said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum last Tuesday.
“It’s about time other athletes step up. That’s why we have a national pool, that’s why we have grassroots (program).”