Pangelinan thought of backing out from Beijing Olympics

Guam paddler Sean Pangelinan said that he almost pulled out from the XXIX Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China in 2008.

Guam Olympic paddler Sean Pangelinan talks to several students at the Marianas High School as he encourages them to stay active and try paddlesports during one of his stops in several Saipan schools yesterday. (Jon Perez)

Pangelinan earned the chance of joining five other Guam athletes to the Beijing Games after clinching an Olympic berth following a third place finish in the tough 2007 Oceania Championships in Australia.

“I did not know what to think. I thought of not competing since I felt I wasn’t ready yet for the Olympics,” the Yona-born Pangelinan told Saipan Tribune after his brief talk at Marianas High School yesterday.

“Actually, I was training to qualify in the 2012 London Olympics. I was shocked that I qualified earlier. When I won bronze in the Oceania Championships and learned that I qualified [to] Beijing, I was overwhelmed. My mind was thinking of a lot of things at that time,” he added.

Like an obedient soldier Pangelinan marched on and prepared harder after finally achieving his Olympic dream. He trained four times a day and seven days a week once he clinched an Olympic berth.

“Every athlete dreams of competing in the Olympics. It is the grand stage and the culmination of your training and hard work. I know the level of competition in the Olympics. I was expecting to face the elite paddlers of the world, so I also need to be at my best,” he added.

Pangelinan reached the semifinals of the 500m men’s singles flatwater canoe event and was 10 seconds behind in claiming another semis spot in the 1000m.

He was seventh in the 500m preliminaries, clocking 2:12.696 to earn a semifinals berth but he ended up ninth in the semis going five seconds slower in the qualifying event. He finished eighth in the 1,000m race (4:49.284), missing the last semis spot by 10 seconds against Angola’s Fortunato Luis Pacavira (4:39.538).

“I took pride in representing Guam. My mindset at that time was, win or lose, I made it to the Olympics. Me, an island boy from a small island in the Marianas,” added Pangelinan, who is now based in San Diego, California.

A few months after competing in the Olympics, he decided to go to the mainland and bought a one-way ticket to San Diego uncertain of his future. He went back to school, at San Diego State University to finish his degree in physical therapy.

“I got my bachelors degree in Sports Science and Physiology at San Diego State University. And this year, I opened my own business, the FitLab Gym in San Diego,” added Pangelinan, whose mother is from Saipan.

He advised all students who attended Thursday’s event at the MHS cafeteria to never give up no matter what life brings. “You must be persistent, never give up. I have failed many times but I never give up. When I started paddling, I always fell in the water. The people who always see me were laughing at me but that did not discourage me.”

The 28-year-old Pangelinan said the thought of competing in another Olympics also crossed his mind but as of now he’s busy managing his gym, which opened this year.

“Yes, it’s fun to earn another Olympic berth but just think of the amount of time and sacrifice that you need to do to train,” added Pangelinan.

He also plays basketball, does some weightlifting, runs, jogs, and reads in his free time. “I read a lot to educate and stimulate my mind.”

Pangelinan visited several schools on Thursday to give a brief talk on having a healthy lifestyle, being active, and eating right. The program is a joint project of the Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service and OceanSoul Unlimited.

He also went to Chacha Oceanview and Tanapag and Dandan middle schools on Thursday. On Friday, he will be visiting Hopwood Junior High School, Mt. Carmel School, and San Antonio Middle School (tentative).

On Saturday, Pangelinan will be giving a free clinic to all participants of the Marianas PaddleFest at the Hyatt Regency Saipan’s beach side.

Cora Alicto and Derek Mandell (athletics), Ricardo “RJ” Blas (judo), Chris Duenas (swimming), and Maria Dunn (wrestling) were the other Guam Olympic athletes in the 2008 Beijing Games.