Fil-German race walker Nathaniel Seiler flashes the No. 1 sign as he crosses the finish line in ruling the men's 10-kilometer walk, June 11, 2026, in record-breaking fashion in the ICTSI Philippine Athletic Championships presented by PSC at the New Clark City Athletic Stadiumin Capas, Tarlac. PSC photo
MANILA -- Filipino-German Nathaniel Seiler laid down a marker in his very first competition in the local athletics scene.
Seiler made a record-breaking debut in the ICTSI Philippine Athletic Championships at the New Clark Athletic Stadium in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday.
Benefitting from an early-morning start, Seiler crossed the line in 43:33.38, erasing nearly 54 seconds from the old mark of 44 minutes and 22.08 seconds.
The 31-year-old record was set by Sonny Diaz in the 1995 Chiang Mai Southeast Asian Games.
"I slowed down somewhat when I was way ahead of the Indonesian and could have gone faster had I known the record that I was running after," said the 30-year-old Seiler.
Arriving last Saturday and with Manila six hours ahead of Germany, the athlete was grateful that his one and only event happened early in the morning "because if had it been in the evening then I might have been too sleepy to perform well."
Seiler was discovered by former national race walker turned coach Saturnino Salazar. They met in 2022 while Seiler was on vacation in the Philippines, and Salazar convinced him to compete for his mother's home country.
"I asked him if he (Seiler) could compete for our country in 2022 and he even had a class to teach the fundamentals to promising race walkers then," Salazar, a heart attack survivor, of their meeting four years ago.
A former soldier-athlete in the German army, Seiler's immediate target is competing in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan in September and then in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, earning him the distinction of representing two countries in the Summer Games.
Indonesia's Hendro checked in 45:58.88 for silver, while Vincent Vianmar dela Cruz of Spectrum Runners took third in the competition.
Seiler's exploits highlighted the feats of overseas-based Filipino athletes who have stamped their class after two days of the meet.
Paris Olympian Lauren Hoffman is all alone at the finish line to rule the women's 400-meter hurdles of the ICTSI Philippine Athletic Championships presented by PSC at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium, June 10, 2026 in Capas, Tarlac. PSC photo
Late Wednesday, Paris Olympian Lauren Hoffman, pole vaulter Eli Cole and sprinter Jessica Laurance, who like Seiler are supported by FILAM Sports, dominated their pet events.
In better shape than last year and her main rival Robyn Lauren Brown not around to pose a threat, Hoffmann blasted off the blocks on the way to reclaiming the women's 400-meter hurdles title in 58.98 seconds.
"Although I wasn't able to execute well enough, I am still happy with what I did," Hoffman, a former Duke University athletic star, said in bagging her third meet title, the last one when it was held at the Philsports oval in Pasig City in 2024.
After an early duel with pole vaulter turned decathlete Hokett delos Santos, Cole, a 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist, was left on his own chasing a higher season best eventually settled for gold in jumping 5.25 meters.
Benefiting from the absence of noted national sprinters Kristina Knott and new women's 100-meter record holder Zion Corrales Nelson, both nursing injuries, Laurance emerged as the meet's fastest woman for a second consecutive time in topping the women's century dash.
In a tight race, the 22-year-old Sydney-born runner emerged triumphant in a winning time of 11.72 seconds, shading national teammate and UAAP and UST varsity standout Lianne Pama (11.85) and Malaysian Izzaful Mussfirah Azzirah (11.86), who came in second and third, respectively.
Fil-Am Drew Tumarak Hill also won a close race in the men's 100-meter sprint in 10.46 seconds, relegating Singapore's Marc Brian Louis (10.49) and Anfernee Lopena of the KG Mercuries (10.60) to silver and bronze in the tournament also supported by Dr. Willie Torres, University of Mindanao chairman.