Zambo lifter redeems self with 3 golds, nine records

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines  – Zamboanga’s Jeffrey Garcia redeemed himself from a forgettable stint last year, romping off with three gold medals and obliterating nine Philippine records yesterday at the close of weightlifting competitions in the 2012 POC-PSC National Games at the Lamberto Macias Coliseum.

Garcia, pride of Mampang, Zamboanga City, demolished the opposition in the 62-kgs in the open, junior and secondary divisions, ripping national standards in snatch (114 kg), clean and jerk (153kgs) and total lifts (267kgs) in all three categories as he bannered a whopping 37-record spree by the lifters in this Games.

“Jeffrey was eager  to compete here because in the last PNG, he got a zero (lift). Although he managed to break the snatch record that time, he fouled his attempts in jerk and so he bounced out of competitions there,” Garcia’s coach Antonio Agustin said in Filipino.

The vaunted Zamboanga City Weightlifting Club, he added, was even ribbing the 20-year-old national pool member that he’s about to mark the anniversary of his 2011 PNG debacle here.

“We were telling him not to be overeager to bounce back and try to control himself as he made his lifts. He delivered and even surpassed our expectations,” Agustin said.

Garcia’s ZCWC teammate and reigning Asian Junior champ Nestor Colonia (men’s open 56kg) and 2011 SEA Games bronze medalists Richard Pep Agosto of Bohol (+105-kg open) and Christopher Bureros of Army (105kg open) also struck in the sportsfest organized by POC and PSC and backed by Smart Communications, Standard Insurance, Accel, Summit Mineral Water, AKTV, Ayala Corporation, Puregold Price Club, Scratch it! Go for Gold, SM Investments Corp., 2Go, Pocari Sweat, The Philippine STAR, and Cebu Pacific.

Elsewhere, Antonino Benjamin Gadi dispatched national player Kevin Cudiamat, 21-7, 21-12, to claim the men’s singles crown while Ma. Bianca Ysabel Carlos nipped Laguna-Whackers’ Janelle Gloriane de Vera, 22-20, 17-21, 21-10, as Golden Shuttle Foundation (GSF) swept the premier events in the well-attended badminton hostilities at the Hypermart.

Hometown wrestlers grabbed the spotlight in Greco-Roman at Robinsons Place, with pals Razel Inyong (52kgs) and Vince Anthony Sumaque (48kgs) leading the Dumaguete-Deftac delegation to a tourney-best five golds.

Cebuanos stamped their class in beach volleyball at the Quezon Park with Cebu A’s Johnrey Sasing and Edward Ynabez trouncing  Cebu-B’s Mike Abria and Jade Becaldo, 21-16, 25-23,  for the men’s crown. Adamson-Phl team’s Angela Benting and Jovelyn Gonzaga clinched the women’s plum, foiling Cebu’s Erica Verano and Jusabelle Brillo, 13-21, 21-19, 15-10.    

Over at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila, the National Team gave the Phl Youth squad a neat lesson in a title-clinching 12-2 rout. The nationals erupted for five runs each in the seventh and ninth innings to break free from a close contest and put the erratic Phl youth clouters to their proper place.

Colonia, 20, easily ruled the men’s 56kg open with record-setting 148kg in jerk and 260kg total in junior play. His effort in jerk also stood as a new mark in open (senior), putting him in the company of fancied Hidilyn Diaz and many others in the record-making club.

Diaz, who is ranked ninth in the world and could qualify outright for the London Olympics if her output is not  surpassed by lifters in the coming Continental Qualifiers for Oceania, ripped three marks in the women’s open 56kg class.

Other record breakers were Ellen Rose Perez (44kg secondary), Lea Ruth Llena (+63kg secondary), Maybelyn Pablo (75kg open and junior), Angelica Lado (94kg open), Marko Llena (62 kg youth), and Martin Patenio (69kg collegiate). They are set to receive cash incentive for each record broken, according to Philippine Weightlifting Association president Monico Puentevella.

Gelita Castillo and Dia Nicole Magno gave the GSF shuttlers another gold via a 21-11, 21-15 drubbing of Cebu City’s Irish Mae Ares and Jessa Mae Lagat in women’s doubles while Phl team’s Jofer Escueta and Peter Magnaye outfought fellow nationals Andrei Babad and Jefferson Vivas, 21-16, 21-8.

Also winning their respective events were Lyrden Laborte, who shocked  top seed Miguel Pangilinan, 22-20, 21-14, in the boys singles 11-under; Jocelle Alvarez, who dumped Zina Marichelle Bejasa, 21-18, 25-23, in the distaff side; Alvin Morada of QC-Li Ning, who shellacked teammate Vincent Rafael Manuel, 21-9, 21-17, in boys’ singles U-17;

Carl Bejasa of Cebu CIty, who tripped Cody Torres of Eastside-Bacolod, 21-19, 21-13,in boys singles U-13; Emilio Mangubat Jr. of Consolacion Cebu, who edged Kerr Longno of JBA/Cadiz, 21-16, 22-24, 21-7, in boys singles 15-U; Jessie Francisco of Taytay-Li Ning, who beat Eleanor Inlayo of Antipolo-Lining, 21-11, 21-19, in the girls’ side; and Justin Natividad of GSF, who defeated Mark Shelly Alcala of Phl team, 21-13, 21-15.

Eigtheen-year-old grappler Inyong made good use of his experience as a fighter in the URCC in  topping the open 55kg and the junior 52kg classes. The new grad from Siaton National High went undefeated in four fights in the open play, capped by a 4-3 triumph over Jerald Bosikaw of Baguio City.

“We want to make our hometown crowd proud of us,” said Inyong, who totes a 2-0 record in the URCC.

HIs good friend Sumaque improved on his silver medal in last year’s PNG by grabbing the gold in the 48kg junior while Roxel Jandog ruled the 66kg event as Dumaguete nosed out the teams of SEAG champions Margarito Angana, Jr. (Zamboanga) and Jason Balabal (Ifugao) for the overall plum.

Angana conquered the field in the 55-kg wars while Balabal reigned in the 84kgs.