Filipinas can gift Cesars golden double
BANGKOK—When Naomi Cesar won the women’s 800-meter gold of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games by a whisker on Monday here, it opened the door for a potential double gold with sister Malea, who is chasing one for her own.
But Malea won’t be going for it in this Thai capital, nor will she aim to do it on the track.
She is part of the Philippine women’s football team that is aiming for a historic gold on Wednesday in Chonburi when it tries to end the long reign of powerhouse Vietnam.
“It’s definitely emotional,” Malea said when asked about their shared experience after the Filipinas’ dramatic shootout win over host Thailand in the semifinals on Sunday.
Naomi’s winning moment at Supachalasai Stadium, clocking two minutes and 10.2 seconds to beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thu Ha by inches, completed Team Philippines’ sweep of the middle-distance events, following Hussein Lorana’s victory in the men’s side.
Over in Chonburi, the tears were flowing as Malea celebrated along with the rest of the Filipinas.
The video became viral after it was posted on the Filipinas’ social media accounts.
The Cesar sisters are daughters of Ben, who ran in the 1991 SEA Games in Manila but never won a medal. Malea already had a bronze three years ago in Hanoi as a member of the Filipinas.
“I grew up hearing stories of him (Ben) competing, and to be able to compete [in the SEA Games] is just a huge honor,” Naomi, six years younger than Malea at 16, said.
“My sister’s here competing in football, also chasing a gold medal right now,” added Naomi. “For us to be able to represent the country is a huge honor.”
The two could have chased similar paths when they were young. At one point, Malea tried her hand at athletics, but said that she preferred “chasing the ball instead of running.”
Naomi also gave football a try, and “did a little bit with the U-17 national teams,” according to Malea.
“But she always excelled at running,” said Malea.
The Filipinas, after their historic Fifa Women’s World Cup debut and a victory in the 2022 Asean Championship, go for glory when they face Vietnam at 8:30 p.m. (Philippine time).
