Taguig lass, QC tankers triumph Manila bet cops 1st B Pinoy gold

MANILA, Philippines - A sprinter-jumper from Taguig City, a long distance runner from Manila and a pair of tankers from Quezon City dominated their respective events to share the spotlight in the first day of action in the Batang Pinoy National Capital Region qualifying leg at the Marikina Sports Center in Marikina yesterday.

Taguig’s Gianeli Gatinga, 12, turned in a 13-second clocking to emerge the fastest girl in the 13-under 100m dash then the five-foot, pony-tailed seventh grader from St. Francis of Assisi came back an hour later to rule the long jump with a 4.50m-leap for a two-gold haul.

She hopes to add three more as she vies in the 200m, triple jump and relay races in the coming days.

“It’s a happy feeling winning in my first year in Batang Pinoy,” said Gatinga, who won a silver in relays and a bronze in long jump in the Palarong Pambansa in Lingayen, Pangasinan last May, in Filipino.

Manila’s Vincent Nabong, in his second straight campaign here, actually became the first gold medal winner in the five-day meet as he topped the 5,000m run for 15-under boys with a 19-minute, 23-second clocking.

“I’m happy to win because it gives me a chance to compete in the National Finals again,” said the 14-year-old Nabong, a sophomore at San Sebastian.

Nabong ruled the 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m runs in last year’s qualifiers at the University of Makati then went on to bag the gold in 3,000m and silver in 1,500m in the Nationals Finals in Naga City.

Quezon City’s Raiisa Regata Gavino and Kirsten Chloe Daos lorded it over the field in the pool as they came away with three gold medals each.

Gavino topped the girls’ 12-under 400m free and 50m breaststroke while Daos reigned in the girls 15-under 200m butterfly and 400m free.

They later teamed up with two others to cop the 4x50m medley relay gold to become the first triple gold medal winners in the talent-search conducted by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Host Marikina City, meanwhile, won five golds on the track and field courtesy of Aldrian Navoa (boys 15-under shot put), Joanna Mae Icaranom (girls 13-under 2,000m walk), Lierence Saynega (boys 13-under long jump), Rizelle dela Paz (girls 15-under 400m run) and Jamie Immanuel Mejia (boys 15-under 400m run).