Twelve-year-old Rorydel Camong completed a sprint double by ruling the girls’ 200-m dash, crowning herself the meet’s sprint queen on a day tropical drepression Quedan drenched the rubberized tracks.
So wet were the tracks that Camong clocked only 28 seconds, less than a second slower than the 27.1 mark Laguna wonder girl Aiza Cometa recorded in the second edition of the Batang Pinoy early this year in Sta. Cruz.
"Kaya ko sanang mas mabilis pa kaya lang basa ’yung takbuhan kaya hindi ako maka-paspas," said Camong, who ripped Cometa’s mark of 13.21 with a time of 13 in the century dash Tuesday.
"Sana huwag umulan bukas (today) dahil ang gusto ko sana makatatlo ako dahil tatakbo din ako sa 50-m dahil gusto kong mapasaya ang governor namin sa Bukidnon, ang mga kababayan ko at ang pamilya ko," added Camong, sixth of eight children by farmer Sulpicio and housewife Virginia.
But the day belonged to local boy Miguel Villanueva and Rizal Province’s Denjylie Cordero, who became the event’s first triple gold medalists the same day swimming records fell like dominoes.
Cheered wildly by the hometown crowd, the 12-year-old Villanueva raked in two more gold medals in the boys’ 100-m freestyle and 50-m backstroke to add up to a gold medal in the 50-m freestyle he won in Day 4.
Seven-year-old Cordero likewise captured a pair of gold medals via sterling swims in the 100-m freestyle and 50-m backstroke to hike her haul to three gold medals, the first coming in the 100-m breaststroke event.
Powerhouse Manila, headed by former national taekwondo team member Ali Atienza who is also son of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, solidified its hold of the lead after it dominated the swimming competitions for the second day in a row with five more gold medals.
A day after harvesting four gold medals at the start of the swimming event Tuesday, Manila came to Day 5 with much resolve as it netted another huge haul -- five gold medals, two from Leland Robinson Tan, and one apiece from Heidi Gem Ong, Kimberly Uy and Jose Baylon.
Tan ruled the boys’ 50-m backstroke, Ong won her second gold medal in the girls’ 100-m freestyle in record-breaking fashion, Uy topped the girls’ 50-m backstroke and Baylon bested foes in the boys’ 100-m butterfly.
The biggest coup, however, came from athletics courtesy of Bicolano trackster Richard Malate.
Malate stunned boys’ century dash winner Joseph Carrera of Pangasinan in the 200-m dash with a time of 26 seconds, half a second ahead of the latter and Trenchie Tiburcio of Aurora Province (26.6).
But the event, which drew participation from about 3,500 athletes from 71 local sports councils, was not without tragedy as a badminton coach from Cotabato City was reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital to undergo treatment for internal bleeding.
Philippine Sports Commission chairman Carlos Tuason and commissioner Amparo "Weena" Lim, the meet’s project director, said the agency had extended financial help amounting to P10,000 while host province Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Maranon gave P5,000 to cover hospital bills.