IBA, Zambales, Philippines – Defending champion Bulacan dominated the gymnastics competitions of the 2012 Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association yesterday.
The town plaza of nearby Botolan came alive with the gold-medal performances of Jenny Ann Calleja and Christine Faith Taynan, who won five gold medals each to anchor Bulacan’s surge.
At the Zambales Sports Center, archer Jean Karla Bondoc, 15, was on target all morning and bagged four gold medals to join the surge of multiple gold-medal winners.
Competing in the secondary girls’ artistics gymnastics, Calleja ruled the individual all around (35.00), vault (12.10), balance beam (11.35) and floor exercise (11.55).
Taynan topped the individual all around (56.96), rope (15.40), hoop (14.90) and ball (14.60) in the secondary girls rhythmic gymnastics. Their fifth gold medals came in the team events.
Vannesa Nabua and Mary Jane Bontia accounted for two gold medals each in the elementary girls rhythmic. The boys’ team in the secondary artistic gymnastics and Dan Harry Palad in the floor exercise of the elementary boys artistic gymnastics capped the 17 gold medals of Bulacan for the day.
Bondoc submitted scores of 308, 278 and 268 to rule the secondary girls 30m, 50m and 60-meter distances. Her total scores of 1135, including the 281 she recorded in winnng the silver medal in the 40m distance, gave Bondoc her fourth gold medal in the Single FITA.
“I wasn’t focused in the 40 meters, that’s why I placed second, but I was confident I could win and exceed my five gold-medal effort last year,” said the 5-6 Bondoc.
Pampanga’s tracksters also kept their impressive form, winning five more gold medals through Danice Elaine Luig, Terenz Catillo Tongol, Mark Louie Garon and Rene Mercado. Keith Anne Santos ruled the elementary girls triple jump.