INCHEON, South Korea—Long jumper Marestella Torres missed her chance at a medal in the 17th Asian Games by the tip of her toe.
That speck, almost invisible to the eye if not for a second closer look made by the officials, snuff out Torres’s attempt to break out of her Asian Games jinx after the second of her three foul attempts.
“I didn’t cry anymore and I won’t ever cry again,” Torres said the morning after her worst performance yet in an international competition.
Unlike what had become customary in her previous losses, Torres did not shut herself out of the world.
She went out with a brave face and joined their morning huddle on Tuesday. She encouraged a couple of teammates who were still to race in their events to give their best and win the medal that escaped her clutches Torres simply wanted to put this Asiad episode behind her.
“This is the second Asian Games where I missed my goal,” she said. “But the next time I face these girls again on the same level of competition, I’ll make sure I win. The frustration is there, but the need to recover is also there.”
Torres placed fourth in Guangzhou four years ago and was so disappointed. She was a favorite for winning the Asian championship gold the year before.
“I didn’t want to go out my room then. I cried and cried,” she said. “But last night, I asked myelf ‘Why should I cry?’ I know I could do better the next time.”
Indonesia’s Maria Natalia Londa was a surprise gold medalist in the women’s long jump with 6.55 meters—below Torres’s personal best of 6.71. The silver medalist was also a Southeast Asian athlete, Vietnam’s Thi Thu Thao Bui, who did 6.44, and the bronze medalist was a favorite, China’s Jiang Yanfei, who leapt to 6.34, Torres’s season best.
Torres, 32, gave birth in January to her first son, Elemar Matvie, but just could not turn her back on the field and made an immediate comeback for another shot at the Asian Games gold.