JAKARTA - Before the 2018 Asian Games, there were a lot of rumors regarding Daniel Patrick Caluag, the lone gold medalist of the Philippines four years ago. Months before the games, there were some reports saying that not be competing at all but this was quashed when Caluag hit the track in Jakarta and took home a bronze medal.
"It's funny because I'd read up on news about me and people were saying that I retired. I didn't know where they got it from. I guess some people just want to throw gossip out there. I just hope they asked me directly," Caluag said during the press conference after the final race.
The questions about his entry into the 2018 Asian Games were brought about by the fact that Caluag did not join any major competitions recently, leading some to assume that he was retired.
"I didn't compete in any major events recently because, unfortunately, in our sport, you have to spend money to compete and gain experience," Caluag clarified. "For me, I have a family that I need to support. It's not the easiest thing to balance because if you're going to lose money, you're going to end up hurting your family.
"If US-based athletes got the support that we need, then we'll have no problem being full-time athletes," he explained. "I would love to be one but I have to provide for my family if I have no support from anyone. The cost of living in the US is not cheap. I've been preparing for this event since January. You can't just decide to train for a month and expect to be successful here."
Even with these limitations, Caluag wanted nothing else but to win another medal for the Philippines.
"I made do with what I had. Luckily, I practice with world champions and gold medalists. I get to ride with them so I get to know where my speed is at. It's all about fine-tuning," the two-time Asian Games medalist continued.
"My sacrifice as an athlete was waking up very early, about 4 or 5 AM to get two hours of training every day. After that, I got back home to make sure my kids who are 3 and 1 are attended to because even if work and play are important to me, the most important thing in my life is my family. I want to spend as much time with them as I can because, working at the City of Hope, which is an oncology clinic, we have so many patients wishing they had more time or regretting that they didn't spend enough time with their loved ones before."