MISAMIS Oriental pride Janry Ubas made a quick follow-up to his gold conquest in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
The 29-year-old Ubas from the municipality of Villanueva strung up two successful overseas campaigns after he captured the long jump gold in SEAG Cambodia with an impressive 7.85 meters record.
In Lappeenranta, Finland, Ubas made a winning leap and a tournament-best 7.86m in the Motonet Grand Prix held some weeks ago.
Last Saturday, July 22 (Sunday in Manila), Ubas duplicated his gold effort after dominating the Triveneto Meeting Internazionale in Trieste, Italy.
The successive title runs thus, bolstered Ubas’ quest to earn a world championship berth, highlighted by his latest leap of 7.72 meters to rule the 14-player field, narrowly defeating Cuba’s Lester Lescay Gay.
Lescay Gay, a veteran of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, registered 7.71m for the silver medal, while Botswana’s Thapelo Monaiwa posted 7.54m for the bronze.
Ranked No. 53 in the world, Ubas’ exploits in Finland and Italy are expected to boost his rankings as only the top 36 athletes will qualify in the world championship set to be slated Aug. 19 to 27 in Budapest, Hungary.
Before heading to Finland, Ubas was able to return home to Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.
He was then accompanied by his girlfriend Mylyn Lumod to Cagayan de Oro where he was feted during the Provincial Capitol’s regular flag-raising ceremony, past Monday, for bringing honors to the province and the country.
Governor Peter Unabia, through the Provincial Sports Development Office headed by Francis Sean Condeza, also ordered his Admin Staff to facilitate a P35,000 worth of cheque as a bonus for Ubas’ heroic feat.
