CEBU, Philippines- The karatedo athletes powered Team Cebu City Niños is hauling golds on the second day of action in one of country's biggest multi-sporting event, the Philippine National Games yesterday in Bacolod City.
The karatekas contributed three golds out of the five golds accumulated by Team Cebu City while the two other golds came from athletics and arnis.
TCC men and women's team bagged the team kata titles. The men' team kata was composed of Ricky Sanchez, Bryan Inopena, and Nazareno Concan while the women's team was composed of Micah Borromeo, Alexes Enad and Nina Baculao.
Enad won another gold medal in the women's kata while Borromeo had a silver medal.
In the first day of action, Jason Giganto of the University of Cebu won Cebu City's first gold, after dominating the juniors division discus throw with a 35.35 meter distance.
April Caballes had an easy golden finish in the arnis competition.
Athletics
Well-decorated tracksters Lindley Fran Navaja and Sheena Gacayan of the University of Cebu had silver finishes in the athletics events at the Panaad Stadium track oval.
Navaja got the silver medal in the boys 19-under 100-meter run and his teammate Adrianne Medequillo also got the same place in the long jump competition.
Gacayan, on the other hand, finished second in the 800 meter run in the women's open category. Dharl Pitogo had a bronze medal in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.6 seconds.
Lawn Tennis
The women's lawn tennis doubles saw a match between two equally-tough paired siblings, the Siso siblings and the Dasian sisters with Cebu's Siso siblings winning the quarterfinals.
The multi-awarded Sally Mae Siso and her sister Sallydine of the University of San Carlos (USC) thrashed the Dashian sisters, Elma and Elgy, in dominating fashion, 6-1, 6-0, to book a semifinal ticket today.
In the men's bracket, Israel Abarquez and Kennex Abadia now registered 2-0 in their title campaign in the men's division.
Abarquez fended off Benjie Arquiza, 6-1, 6-0 and Rude Dominguez, 6-1, 6-0.
Abadia, on the other hand, defeated Lord Byron Eiola, 6-0, 6-0 and Patrick Escober, 6-0, 6-1.
Volleyball
In indoor women's volleyball, the back-to-back CESAFI champion, Southwestern University (SWU) Lady Cobras had to tackle the Philippine Team-backed Mandaue City squad in five set thriller before winning a victory over the latter yesterday.
The Jordan Paca-mentored SWU belles now have 2-0 standing in their bracket.
The Mandauehanons led by former RP youth member Genie Sabas took the first set, 25-16, with a strong backing from former Philippine team members, Joan Bunag, Erse Iratay and Maika Morada from Far Eastern University.
The gritty Lady Cobras bounced back with two sets won, 25-21, 25-23 behind the powerful attacks of Princess Anne Pido, Danika Gendrauli, Lorie May Layno, Fritzie Aligway, and Danalie Baquiro.
However, Mandaue answered back with a 25-19 win in the fourth set, thus the rubber match.
In the deciding set, they experienced a see-saw battle, but it was SWU which was able to make it all the way to the 15-13 finish.
Prior to the match, SWU also pummeled University of San Agustin-Bacolod in easy straight sets, 25-16, 25-10, 25-15.
Beach Volley
The tandem of Jade Becaldo and Mark Abria as well the duo of Erika Camille Verano and Apple Saraum were also doing well by staying unbeaten after the second day of action.
The PNG will serve as an exposure in their preparation as the country's representative in the Asian University Beach Volley Competition in China next month. - THE FREEMAN