Tanker cops two golds; javelin mark set

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines – A thrower from Calabarzon and a tanker from the National Capital Region took the spotlight by bagging the gold medals in yesterday’s Palarong Pambansa at the Albay Sports and Tourism Complex of the Bicol University here.

Jerick Mendoza, a Grade Six, 13-year-old student of Malibago Elementary School in Mulanay, Quezon, heaved 57.50 meters to smash the 18-year-old javelin throw record of 51.88m set by fellow Calabarzon bet Jonah Reyes in 1998 in Bacolod City.

“I just want to make my family and the whole Calabarzon region proud,” said Mendoza, who settled for the shot put silver Monday.

NCR’s Nicole Meah Pamintuan, on the other hand, racked up two golds in the secondary girls 400m freestyle where she clocked 4:46.60 and 100m backstroke where she timed 1:09.08.

Pamintuan, a 16-year-old Grade Nine student at La Salle-Zobel, is seeking to duplicate her impressive seven-gold haul in last year’s edition in Tagum, Davao del Norte where she emerged as one of the event’s most outstanding athletes.

Pamintuan represented Calabarzon last year but transferred from St. Michaels in Biñan, Laguna to La Salle-Zobel where she eventually won seven golds in the UAAP to take the MVP plum.

“I was recruited, that’s why I transferred,” said Pamintuan.

NCR’s Maurice Sacho Illustre also set in motion his bid for a repeat of his seven-gold haul last year, including five record breakers, as he ruled the secondary boys’ 400m free and 200m fly.

Bicol snatched a gold in swimming behind Alexie Gojar, who topped the elementary girls 100m back.

Other gold medal winners in the pool were NCR’s Raphael Santos (elementary boys’ 200m), Socsargen’s Thea Diane Canda (elementary girls 200m free), Northern Mindanao’s Chad Russel Espinas (elementary boys’ 100m back) and Davao’s Christian Paul Anor (secondary boys’ 100m back).

NCR’s Ancilla Mari Manzano emerged the first triple gold medal winner following victories in the individual all-around, floor exercise and single bar in elementary girls women’s artistic gymnastics at the St. Agnes Academy.

Manzano had a chance to win two more mints in vault and balance beam but was denied both times by Central Luzon’s Samuelle Isabella Yacob and settled for silvers.

Over at the Aquinas University Student Pavilion, the Big City bets struck in chess, winning three of the four gold medals staked in blitz competition.

Teammates Tristan Cervero and Julius Gonzales finished tied for first in the secondary boys individual event with six points but the former bested the latter via Buccholz tiebreaker, 33-30.5, to snare the gold.

Davao’s Earl Rhay Mantilla took the bronze with 5.5 points.

Cervero and Gonzales also topped the team event by combining for 12 points, a point and a half ahead of Davao’s Mantilla and Carl Zirex Sato with 10.5 points and Northern Mindanao’s Romeo Canino and Aldin Ronulfo Ranario with nine points.

Allanney Jia Doroy and Francois Marie Magpily claimed the secondary girls team gold with 10.5 points, edging Cordillera Administrative Region with 10 points and Central Visayas with 9.5 points.

Western Visayas’ Fiona Geeweneth Guirhem finished tied with Doroy and CAR’s Bea Mendoza on top with 5.5 points apiece but emerged with the highest tiebreak score.

Doroy ended up with silver while Mendoza took the bronze.

Cordillera made its mark in taekwondo’s poomsae event as Gabriel Salaknib Soria reigned in secondary boys individual B, Soria, Khristian Daniel Mamitag and Ejay Dongbo in group boys and Mary Ceniza Quiambao, Wiliza Maure and Jessa Tumlayen in secondary girls group event.

The other poomsae golds went to Cagayan Valley’s Zyka Angelica Santiago (secondary individual girls A), Northern Mindanao’s Akila Gabrielle Boloto (secondary individual girls B) and Michael Porras (secondary individual boys A) and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao’s Cherry Mae and Rico James Teraytay (mix pair).

In archery at the Provincial Engineering Office in Camalig, Albay, Negros Island’s Ma. Ferimi Gleam Bajado picked up the 40-m gold while Ilocos’ Clarisse Michaelle Castro snared the 30-m mint.

In arnis at the Divine Word High School Gymnasium, Calabarzon’s Jessica Cabano-ang won the secondary girls’ anyo event individual (single weapon) while Western Visayas’ John Clark Segutier topped the secondary boys anyo event individual (single weapon).