Jesson Ramil Cid: From FEU to the Southeast Asian Games

By Yourwellness Last updated Apr 9, 2014 19

Jesson Ramil Cid looks back at the soil field in Dingras, Ilocos Norte where he first tried the high jump. Unlike in the UAAP or other major tournaments, you can only do the scissors jump here since there is no foam to land on. It all began here 7 years ago for the man now recognized as Southeast Asia’s best all-around athlete.

Discovered while playing basketball at age 13, Cid was persuaded by coaches from Dingras to try the high jump so he could represent the Ilocos region in the annual Palarong Pambansa. It was not all roses as he only placed 3rd in the 2007 Palaro as a high school junior. Even worse, he did not even get a medal during his senior year.

Despite his Palaro shortcomings, he was spotted by the Michael Keon, former director of Gintong Alay, which produced the likes of Lydia De Vega and Isidro Del Prado. Keon immediately recommended Cid to former Gintong Alay national coach and FEU mentor Rosito Andaya.

Cid immediately became known in the UAAP circles as the iron man of athletics. He competed in so many events that the UAAP even changed its rules to limit the number of events an athlete could join. His potential was breathtaking and Andaya felt he could be the next best FEU athlete since De Vega.

Meteoric rise

Potential quickly turned into results in the 2010 National Open as Cid shattered the Philippine junior record in the decathlon with 6,097 points. He would follow this up with breaking the UAAP decathlon record as well, and winning the Most Valuable Player award in 2010 and 2012.

His meteoric rise from Palaro athlete to UAAP superstar was phenomenal and Cid qualified to represent the country in the Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar last December 2013. After graduating with a degree in education from FEU, Cid began to concentrate on athletics full time and work on his weaknesses.

“I was already good in the runs but I needed to improve my throwing and jumping to get a medal in the SEA Games,” said Cid. National coaches Sean Guevarra and Arnold Villarube worked with Cid as he prepared for the SEA Games where it all came together.

On Dec 18, 2013, Jesson Cid’s name was added to the roster of Philippine sports history with a performance to remember. With the country struggling to find medals in the SEA Games, Cid scored a new Philippine record of 7,038 points to win the gold in the decathlon at age 22.

“Asian Games is my next target. There is still a lot to improve. I need to reach around 7,700 points to be competitive on the Asian level. I will continue to work hard and give my best to my country,” beamed an extremely focused Cid. “FEU has given me the discipline and the skills to pursue my dreams. Now I am ready to take on the world.”