Archers fuel NCR romp

NAGA CITY -- Powerhouse National Capital Region slumbering might woke up in time to sweep all seven gold medals in archery and nail one in athletics yesterday as it dislodged Southern Tagalog from the leader board in the secondary level after Day 5 of Palarong Pambansa competition.

Three of NCR seven archery golds came from Edwina Delos Reyes (30 meters, standard round and olympic round) while Mitchelle Panilag provided the Big City bets with two gold medals in 50 meters and standard round.

Russel Loyd topped the boys’ 30 meters while Jasmin Figueroa foiled Delos Reyes’ bid of taking four golds with a victory in the girls’ 50 meters, completing a sweep of the event held here at the Metro Naga Sports Complex.

Honey Joy Ortaliz, who topped the century dash Thursday, provided NCR its eighth gold medal in the day with a golden run in the 400 meters as she hiked her team’s total to 22 gold medals, seven more than Southern Tagalog’s tally.

But it was Malco Alcon Dacanay who made the biggest splash in the day with five gold medals in the pool competition, the last as part of NCR’s 400-m medley relay team which bagged the gold medal late Thursday in record breaking fashion.

Younger brother of national swimming team mainstay Luica Dacanay, Malco, whose other golden feats came in 200-m freestyle, 50-m breaststroke, 200-m individual medley and 200-m medley relay squad, thus became the one of five-gold medal winners in the meet so far.

The other earning the feat wis Souther Tagalog’s Ma. Babrielle Infantado in the elementary level, winning in the 100-m backstroke, 50-m backstroke, 100-m freestYle, 200-m medley relay and 50-m freestyle.

Tied with NCR going into Day 5, Southern Tagalog slowed down yesterday after it snatched only one gold medal in athletics courtesy of Jasmin Chavez in the 100-m hurdles.

Previous to Chavez’ s golden run, Southern Tagalog hauled six gold medals Thursday in the pool events highlighted by superb showing by Roman Borja, Geeno Galac, Lianne Marquez and Josephine Jamora.

Also making a bid was traditional Palaro powerhouse Western Visayas, which knocked in four gold medals in Day 5 to inch closer to Southern Tagalog at third place with a total catch of 12 gold medals.

John Rey Jinon and Ronald Servidad had a gold medal apiece in athletics while BJ Dolorosa and Junny Gregorio took one gold each in the boxing competition, an event its elementary counterparts dominated.

Jinon ruled the boys’ secondary pole vault with 3.30, way ahead of Rogelio Panangkon of Northern Mindanao (3.00) and Jesson Tuando of Western Mindanao (2.70), while Servidad beat Sore Hernane of Southern Mindanao (4:10.9) and Jordan Pablo of CARAGA (4:12.0) to the tape of the 1,500-m run with a time of 4:09.8.

Dolorosa, on the other hand, defeated Ale Brashary Cali of Southern Mindanao for the 36-kg mosquito-weight gold while Junny Guerrero beat Virnell Desabille of Southern Mindanao for the 41-kg paperweight gold.

A day after eclipsing the secondary girls’ long jump mark, Maricel Sibog of Southern Mindanao assaulted the record books anew by copping her second gold medal in triple jump in another record-setting feat.

Sibog, 18, clocked 12.02, three-tenths of a second off the 11.99 recorded by Rodelia Mejillano of Southern Tagalog in two years back in Bacolod City, to lead Southern Mindanao at distant fourth following a collection of four gold medals.