TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – Johansen Aguilar shattered two more meet records yesterday as he anchored the National Capital Region’s another romp in the pool in the rain-hit Palarong Pambansa at the Leyte Sports Development Center here.
Aguilar, 17, anchored the Big City tankers also composed of Sean Paul Tan, Gabriel Castelo and Gian Daniel Berino as they broke the 400-m medley relay record of four minutes and 11.31 seconds NCR’s Matthew Tano, Kendrick Uy, F. Villagante and J. Chiu in 2005 Iloilo games with a 4:10.66 clocking.
The lanky Aguilar, an incoming freshman at La Salle, earlier smashed the 1:01.0 record he set in the 100m back Wednesday with a 1:00.79 clocking in the first 100m stretch of the same 400m medley relay event in the morning heats.
If not for the downpour, Aguilar would have broken another one.
“I tried to break my own mark but the rains somehow bothered me,” said Aguilar. “I’ll try to break some more records tomorrow (today) if I can.”
Aguilar now has three gold medals, including the 200m medley relay Wednesday, and possibly two more as he competes in the 200m back and 100m fly in today’s final day of the swimming competitions.
“Realistically, my target is four gold medals but I’ll go for five,” he said.
Aguilar’s spectacular swims sparked another golden run by NCR, which pocketed six more golds to hike its total to 13 golds, including seven in secondary level.
Johnmar Gonzales (200m breast) and the girls’ 400m medley relay team of Dorothy Grace Hong, Kristian Alliaq Mariz Cortado, Hannah Dato and Sabrina Ingrid Illustre accounted for the two other golds in the high school division.
Other winners were Alberto Batungbakal (50m breast), Rafael Sta. Maria (100m freestyle) and the boys’ 400m medley relay squad of Jan Jeric Santos, Christian Kaw, Rafael Sta. Maria and Dunn Clarke Vinluan.
It was also Sta. Maria’s third gold medal after he ruled the 50m fly Wednesday.
So far, seven records fell in the weeklong multi-sports meet – three by Aguilar, two by Cotabato tanker Omar Philip Dacera, one by Mimaropa’s Mervin Guarte in secondary 800m and Western Visayas’ Jesibel Montibon in elementary 800m.
Guarte, who eclipsed the 12-year-old mark in the qualifiers of the secondary 800m run, failed in his golden bid and settled for silver after complaining he was hit three times in the chest and stomach by Calabarzon’s Salvador Guarin and Dondon Cartabio.
Guarin ended up with the gold in a minute and 55.63 seconds, less than a second off the 1:55.6 posted by Guarte in the qualifiers that erased the mark of 1:57 recorded by Calabarzon’s Ren Boy Tanuan in the 1997 Naga games.
“We will talk to our delegation head if we would file a protest,” said Mimaropa track coach Alfred Baronda referring to Region IV director Luisa Bautista-Yu.
Tournament director Claro Pellosis said Mimaropa can file a protest but none of the 12 line judges had seen the incident.
Calabarzon’s Nickson Cuyom timed in 10:09.12 to rule the secondary 3,000m steeplechase to beat Davao’s James Castillo and Western Visayas’ Darius Roquero Jr., who came in second and third in 10:15.86 and 10:20.86, respectively.
Cotabato’s Jarvin Debardo topped the secondary boys’ 400m hurdles while Western Visayas Josie Malacad won the same event for secondary girls.
The Big City bets dominated the mat as Rizza Desiree Garcia snared the secondary individual all-around gold in rhythmic gymnastics with a 59.80 score while teammates Jean Caluscusin and Rizza Corpuz completed a sweep by copping the silver and bronze medals with scores of 53.75 and 52.95, respectively.
Their impressive efforts were enough to also clinch the team gold by combining for 166.50, way ahead of closest pursuers Ilocos (131.60) and Central Visayas (127.60).
NCR’s girls’ volleyball squad was equally impressive as it rolled to its third straight victory over Zamboanga Peninsula, 25-19, 25-13, to barge to the quarterfinals.
Cotabato Region continued its domination of arnis as it hauled three of the four golds staked in the secondary girls section of the indigenous sport courtesy of two by Airene Apresto (individual double identical weapon and single weapon) and one by its double identical weapon team of Kristel Kaye Espuertas, Maribel Gocotano and Recheall Joy Aligonero.
The only gold that slipped off Cotabato’s grasp was in single weapon team, which was snatched by Western Visayas’ Rhea Ann Barola, Famela Grana and Jofel Mae Jamandre.
In other fronts, Calabarzon’s Maria Aurora and Maria Opulencia, Zhane Quitan, Marianne de Guzman and Jennifer Lopez ruled secondary girls’ lawn tennis while Northern Mindanao’s Andrew Bering, Noelito Pacana, Bryan Saarenas and Elson Solon reigned supreme in secondary boys.
Over at boxing, NCR’s Jonas Bacho humbled fancied Central Luzon bet Fernando Tacuyan, younger brother of RP team mainstays Orlando and Rolando, on points, 11-7, to seal at least a bronze in mosquito weight.
Bacho will need to beat Jeffrey Bagacay of Western Visayas, who out-pointed Arjio Moraca of Northern Mindanao, 19-12, in the semis to advance to the gold medal round.
Julius Gacuin of Cotabato Region won via walkover while Philip Fuentes of powerhouse Davao overpowered Rain Ryn Tesoro of Mimaropa, 7-0, to likewise advance to the semifinals.
Cordillera Administrative Region made its presence felt in taekwondo by raking in six gold medals in the individual and team events of poomsae, a pattern event of the sport.
Ferdinand Delizo (Group B), Jeordan Dominguez (Group A), Patricia Mae Sembrano (Group A), Apriel May Soliman (Group B) and its boys team of Dominguez, Delizo and Ronnel Arvin Yadao and its girls’ squad of Sembrano, Soliman and Lyra April Tindoc.