Boneo ignites Palaro dream

PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Philippines — A new star tanker is born.

Charles Nathan Boneo of Calabarzon made a splashing debut to spearhead a slew of new record holders in the explosive second day of the 66th Palarong Pambansa at the refurbished Aquatic Center of the Datu Lipus Makapandong Gov. D.O Sports Complex here.

A former triathlete who decided to go full-swing in swimming just three months ago, the 12-year-old Boneo clocked 4:30.63 in the elementary boys’ 12-and-under 400-meter freestyle to shatter the 4:31.39 mark of NCR’s Titus Rafael Sia last year in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

Sia, last edition, went on to become the most bemedaled athlete with seven gold medals (tied with fellow tanker Sophia Rose Garra also from NCR), including three new records. Sia, the Xavier standout and national junior team campaigner, is set for transition to high school play this year – hinting at the emergence of a new Palaro swimming prince.

And albeit a first-timer after spending some time in triathlon as an Iron Kids campaigner with two national titles in his pocket, Boneo is determined to not only replicate Sia’s seven-mint haul but to seize all the swimming marks.

“I’m planning to break all of it,” the Imus, Cavite native declared ahead of his six remaining events in 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly and two team relays.

Caraga’s Peter Greyson Limbing (4:34.36) and his teammate David Tristan Reyes (4:35.78) finished behind Boneo in 400m freestyle.

Boneo, from Elizabeth Seton School, started doing the swim-bike-run events when he was a burly five-year-old kid for a personal goal of getting slimmer. Now finding and embracing a pet event he can focus on, he’s out for larger-than-life missions – to get to the national team and make the Olympics.

“I was good in triathlon but swimming is my forte. This is where I really bloom. My motivation is to win all the golds in my first Palaro and break all the records,” said Boneo, who’s also set for a plunge for the first time in the Batang Pinoy national finals in Bacolod in December.

Two more swimming records were set as Riannah Chantelle Coleman of the National Academy of Sports surpassed her Laoag mark last year of 1:15.46 with a 1:12.99 time in the elementary girls’ 13-and-under 100m breaststroke.

The fancied NCR quartet of Garra, Patricia Mae Santor, Krystal Ava David and Nichole Rivera then clocked 2:00.97 in the secondary girls’ 4x50m medley relay, smashing the 2:03.04 mark of NCR last year in Laoag.

In athletics, at least eight records were broken yesterday. Among the record-breakers was Charles James Villapana of Northern Mindanao who clocked 13.51 in the secondary boys’ 110m hurdle to beat his idol, national junior ace and world junior championships qualifier Ivan Cabanda of NCR (13.55). NCR’s Jericho Rain Cantil (14.17) took the bronze.