Filipino marathoner Richard Salaño in action in the 2026 Asian Games, September 26, 2026 at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan. POC Media
Filipino marathoner Richard Salaño overcame more than just his opponents when he crossed the finish line at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Saturday morning.
Salaño clocked in at 2 hours, 20 minutes, and 34 seconds to secure a 14th place finish. He arrived just under ten minutes behind the race champion, Japan's Ichitaka Yamashita, who ruled the event with a time of 2:10:49.
In a social media post after the race, Salaño revealed that he was ill before the marathon started and had to rely on paracetamol just to make it to the starting line. Moreover, his in-race energy intake did not sit well with his ailing body, causing him to vomit during the run.
"I try my best today pero kulang pa din. I am not fully recovered, nagtake lang ng paracetamol para malabanan ang lagnat," Salaño wrote in his heartfelt post. "Hindi namin gusto matrangkaso ng matagal, pasensya na sa inyo."
The illness has swept through the Philippine marathon camp in Nagoya.
On Friday, Salaño's teammate and current Philippine record-holder, Sonny Wagdos, was forced to make the painful decision to withdraw from the competition entirely due to the exact same ailment.
READ: PH's Sonny Wagdos withdraws from Asiad marathon event due to high fever
Meanwhile, in the women's marathon, Filipina runner Artjoy Torregosa also checked in at 14th place.
She completed the demanding course with a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes, and 36 seconds. The women's race was conquered by Bahrain's Shitaye Habte, who captured the gold medal in 2:27:31.