NCR closes in on Palaro crown

Iloilo — A tanker and a sprinter from Calabarzon turned in stirring efforts on their respective events while National Capital Region closed in on the overall title with another sterling effort yesterday in the 2005 Palarong Pambansa at the Iloilo Sports Complex here.

Banjo Borja timed in two minutes and 27.50 seconds to rule the elementary 200-meter individual medley to become the best performer with seven gold medals in this week-long event ending today.

Borja, who turned 13 last Sunday, topped the 100-m backstroke, 50-m butterfly, 50-m back, 100-m fly, 4x50-m medley and 4x100-m medley in the first three days.

Calabarzon also produced a noteworthy performance at the track, thanks to a three-gold splurge by Rolan Abling, who completed a sprint doubles early in the day with a victory in the 200-m where he registered 24.7 seconds.

He later spearheaded Calabarzon’s 4x100-m and 4x400-m relay team to clinch two more golds, installing him as the best performer in medal-rich athletics as teammate Jasmine Chavez’ failed to go for a fourth gold in the secondary level.

At the end of the day, it was still NCR up front with a 65-gold, 50-silver and 43-bronze medal haul. Calabarzon was second with 46-44-32, Western Visayas third with 39-38-35, and Central Visayas at distant fourth with 18-19-31. However, the results of the unique Palaro point system will weigh heavily on the final outcome of the championship.

The Big City bets kept its campaign at regaining the general championship it last won five years ago with eight gold medals in the pool highlighted by three golden swims by Ryan Arabejo.

Already with three gold medals including two record-setting stints, the 15-year-old Arabejo, eclipsed another mark, this time the seven-year-old 200-m freestyle record of 2:01.64 owned by Miguel Molina by posting a time of 1:59.92.

Arabejo then topped the 200-m individual medley before teaming up with the 4x100-m freestyle relay team to win a sixth gold medal, the most in the high school side.

NCR also drew the best from Jasmine Al-Khaldi (elementary 50-m free), Josephine Pilapil (secondary 200-m IM), Edlyn Son (elementary 100-m breast) and three from its relay squads.

NCR’s Precious Que, meanwhile, jumped 1.55 meters to shatter the nine-year-old elementary high jump mark of 1.48 set by Maricar Maranan of Southern Tagalog for the day’s worthiest performance at the tracks.

The Gagalangin, Tondo native, who is an incoming freshman at St. Stephen High School, had a chance of improving her mark but stopped after feeling pain in her ankles.

Western Visayas, for its part, unleashed a final day assault in the tracks to keep abreast with NCR and Calabarzon in the medal races.

The host region had four gold medals in the morning with wins by Jean Palencia (secondary 3,000-m), Razel Delideli (secondary 200-m), Emmenuel de Ocampo (secondary 200-m) and Jerry May Lago (elementary 200-m).

It harvested six more gold medals in the relays — secondary girls and boys 4x100-m, elementary girls 4x100-m and 4x400-m and secondary boys and girls 4x400-m.

It included a win by its secondary 4x100-m team of Luville Dato-on, Shennie Carla Narania, Loreny Alasa and Jonalyn Pula, which checked in 50.7 seconds to deny track queen Chavez a fourth gold.

Chavez’s squad — which included back-to-back National Open long jump champion Maricel Mariano — was actually leading going into the final 50-m stretch but Pula unleashed a torrid pace to pull the stunner off.

"Sayang," said the 16-year-old Chavez, a daughter of an OFW in Saudi Arabia who won in 400-m hurdles, 100-m dash and 100-m hurdles. "Pero okay lang masaya pa rin naman ako dahil tatlo naman ang iuuwi kong gold (medal)."

NCR sent its basketball team, led by San Beda standouts J-R Taganas, Kevin Espinoza and John Carlos Hermidas, to the finals with 65-50 demolition over Western Visayas to the disappointment of the thousands of hometown fans from the grandstand. It faces Central Visayas, which edged CARAGA, 68-60, late in the afternoon, today.

Football could also go to NCR, represented by the talented Ateneo de Manila booters, as it awaits the winner of the Western Visayas-Central Mindanao semifinal duel. The Big City booters, who incidentally have players coming from Iloilo, gained the twice-to-beat advantage after sweeping the elimination round.