Antipolo resident and Philippine badminton team member Lea Inlayo joined her teammates in Hanoi to compete in the 2022 Southeast Asia Games in Vietnam.

       The 24-year-old UP product says the team faces an uphill climb against world-class competition in badminton during the SEA Games but they are not about to shy away from the challenge of trying to bring honor and glory to the country through excellence in their sport, badminton.

        “Inaasahan ko po na makapag perform po kami as a team. Na kahit anong mangyari ay lalaban po kami kahit anong bansa po kalaban. Focus po muna kami sa team event tutal yun naman po ang mauuna namin lalaruin bago ang individual games namin,” said Inlayo.

       The Philippine badminton team, PBAD-Smash Pilipinas, has prepared hard for the competition and even included some pool trainings to condition their bodies.

       The SEA Games in 2022 runs May 12 to 23, 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is the 31st edition of the Southeast Asian Games and features 40 sports across 526 events and counts on the participation of 5,467 athletes from 11 different nations.

       Badminton competition starts 9 AM, May 16, Monday with Inlayo competing in Women’s Doubles with Susmita Angelique Ramos and in Mixed Doubles with Solomon Padiz, Jr.

       The Philippine team members have been practicing extensively for the last few months and participated in the SMART Badminton Asia Championships held at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex gym as final tuneup before the SEA Games in Vietnam.