Tankers, jins push NCR closer to title

ORONADAL City – The National Capital Region sustained its dominating performance in swimming and kicked its way to victories in taekwondo to move closer to retaining the overall championship in the 2007 Palarong Pambansa at the South Cotabato Sports Complex here yesterday.

As two more Palaro records fell in another sweltering day, the Big City bets took nine more gold medals in the pool while claiming six golds at the mat to remain on course for the overall championship, which will be determined not by the number of gold medals won but by a unique points system.

Western Visayas, however, reasserted its mastery over its rivals in the track and field events, capturing five gold medals in Day 5, including the record-shattering performance by 12-year-old wonder Maika de Oro in discus throw.

De Oro, who came from a family of discus throwers, including father and former national team mainstay Manuel, heaved the one-kg metal plate in 33.07 meters to eclipse the 30.38 mark set by Cagayan Valley’s Jihan Badojos in Bacolod City nine years ago.

"I know I’ll win the event but I never expected to break the record," said the tall, chubby de Oro, who also won the shot put gold two days ago, in Filipino.

De Oro’s record-breaking feat was the third in this weeklong event following Metro Manila tankers Gian Daniel Berino and Matthew Tano victories. Tano led NCR’s nine-gold splurge in Day 3 with a record-setting swim in 100m butterfly where he timed 59.41 seconds to erase the two-year-old mark of 59.58 set by former NCR bet Ernest Dee.

Also delivering for NCR were Kerzia Sarmiento (elementary 50m back), Maxim Quilala (secondary 200m back), Dorothy Hong (secondary 200m back), Gabriel Lorenzo Castelo (elementary 100m fly), Hannah Dato (elementary 100m fly) and the elementary 200m boys and girls, secondary 200m girls freestyle relay squads.

The taekwondo winners for NCR in the secondary level were James Ruiz de Luzuriaga (fly), Gyle Genoso (bantam), Winlove dela Cerna (fin), Jira Marie Lizardo (fly), Carla Jane Alava (feather) and Marifi Gadit (welter).

Rongie Abing copped the 110m hurdles gold in 16.3 seconds for NCR’s lone victory in the tracks going into the final two days. It was Abing’s second win after ruling the century dash the other day.

The NCR basketball team, represented by reigning NCAA champion San Sebastian, smothered last year’s second placer Western Visayas, 99-53, to barge into the finals with a 5-0 slate.

Also winning for Western Visayas were Deliza Paz Banebane (secondary 400m), Jason Mark Gualin (elementary 400m), JC Mark Palestero (secondary 400m) and Josie Malacad (secondary 1500m).

Other winners in athletics were Southern Tagalog A’s Ryan Rens Galit (secondary high jump) and Czarlis Gonzalez (secondary 100m), Cotabato’s Iverse Joy Diaz (elementary 400m) and Azzaher Zacaria (elementary 110m), Cordillera Administrative Region’s Melsia Naputo (elementary 100m hurdles), Ilocos’ Raynarr Aquino (elementary javelin) and Davao’s Anthony Nevza (secondary 5,000m).