PHNOM PENH—Wedding bells are ringing for Fil-American standout Natalie Uy after she bagged the bronze medal in the women’s pole vault event of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games on Wednesday at the Morodok Techo National Stadium here.
In two weeks’ time, the 28-year-old Uy will tie the knot with her boyfriend, physiologist Samuel Go.
Taking a pause from her life as an athlete will get Uy focused when she resumes preparing for her competitions as a national athlete.
Uy said this after she cleared a final height of 4.0 meters to settle for third place in the games.
“It’s okay. I have a lot of things to work on. Lots of things going on in my life,” said Uy, who is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Attempts at 4.05 in two tries and 4.10 meters in one were made, but were unsuccessful.
Uy’s performance was better than the 3.6 meters Alyanna Nicolas did last year when she claimed the bronze medal in the Hanoi SEA Games.
Choniticha Khabut of Thailand took the gold medal on a better countback after she and Sarah Adi Nor of Malaysia both hit 4.05 meters.
Competition against Khabut and Nor was tough, according to Uy, adding the she felt privileged competing against her rivals.
“It’s tough. I can see how hard they have been working. It’s an honor,” said Uy.