Javeling thrower Melvin Calano won the gold medal but narrowly missed resetting the Philippine national record during the athletics meet of the recent 30th Southeast Asian Games.
A big distraction kept the 28-year-old Calano from a 10-year old mark that Danilo Fresnido continues to hold up to this day.
A week before he was to plunge into action, Calano got a call from his wife, who informed him that the roof of their home was blown away powerful winds while Typhoon Tisoy was entering the Bicol region last December 1.
“’Yung bahay namin, dinaanan ng ipuipo, nadala lahat. Six days before competition nagkabagyo,” said Calano, who said that his family of two had to evacuate to their bathroom that was still intact after the disaster.
And he was relieved that they were later evacuated to a safer shelter, days before he was to compete.
“Nagkausap na lang kami ulit nung Dec. 6, four days before competition. Pero, hindi ko na inisip ‘yung pagkasira ng bahay. Inisip ko paano sinave ni Lord ‘yung pamilya ko,” said Calano.
The situation involving Calano’s family while he was competing at the New Clark City athletics stadium worried him.
But, Calano still managed to win the gold medal with his heave of 72.86 meters, and its 7/100th of a meter short of the Philippine record.
His heave allowed him to improve on his bronze medal finish two years ago, and beat Indonesian Abdul Hafiz, who settled for the silver with his 71-meter performance.
Nguyá»…n Hoài Văn clinched the bronze in 70.88 meters.
“Na surprise sila sa akin. Pero ako di na surprise. Kasi alam ko kaya ko maka gold medal. Kasi, sabi ni Lord, all things are possible, for those who believe,” said Calano.
His feat was the result of his continuous trained over the last two years.
Calano, made efforts to get the gold while still in college at Jose Rizal University, and after coach Jojo Posadas saw his potential while in Paracale, Camarines Norte.
Now that he has won a medal, and around P750,000 from the incentives and bonuses that were given him by the government and the private sector, Calano said he now has the proper resources to rebuild their family home with wife Sarah and son Vince.
“Pag-uwi ko sa Pasko ay mamadaliin ko na ang pagpagawa ng bahay namin, para kahit sa loob ng isang buwan ay matirhan na,” said Calano.
Calano said the loss of his home motivated him to train more and focus on his next goal, which is the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
While there, Calano may have a chance to break the national mark, which still belongs to Fresnido at 72.93 meters.