Olarita scores sprint double; CV pads lead

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Philippines – Lorna Olarita dominated the field to rule the 200m dash and complete a sprint double at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center as Central Visayas pulled away from Calabarzon in Day 3 of the PRISAA National Games here yesterday.

The 20-year-old Olarita, a graduating Education student at University of Southern Philippines Foundation in Cebu City, clocked 26.5 seconds in adding the other half of the sprint race to her victory in the 100m dash Wednesday.

“ I am thankful to God because He gave me this in time for my forthcoming graduation,” said Olarita in Filipino.

It was the third individual gold medal for Olarita, who also topped the 400m run, making her a chief contender for MVP honors in the week-long meet that drew athletes from nearly 500 colleges and universities from the country’s 17 regions.

Central Visayas also stamped its class in swimming, taking six gold medals as the defending champions went unassailably ahead with 41 gold, 13 silver and 15 bronze medals heading to the last two days of the competitions.

Calabarzon has a 25-12-30 (gold-silver-bronze) haul to remain at second as Ryan Bigyan copped the men’s 400m hurdle gold even as Davao Region, Ilocos Region and Western Visayas each pulled off a victory each in athletics. 

Lorendale Echavez topped the women’s 100m free and 800m free, Jessie Ariola ruled the men’s 1,500m free, Gede Tangol beat her rivals in women’s 50m back while the men’s 200m free team of Jon Pete Guno, Jebb Cane, Edgar Allen Jarina, John Beltran won the 4x50 relay gold and the women’s quartet of Niña Ignacio, Lorendale Echaves, Ara Denice, Abigail Sakib took the 200m free 4x50 relay gold for Central Visayas.

Anthony Nerza clinched the gold in the men’s 10,000m run in 33:23.2 for Davao Region’s eighth gold; Jonald Canta bagged the gold in men’s 200m dash in 22.5 seconds for Ilocos; while Western Visayas’ Avejiel Baclas topped the women’s 400m hurdles in 1:04.9 seconds.

Other winners for Calabarzon were Marco Vilog, who reigned in men’s 800m run and Jodiel Mandawe’s ruled men’s pole vault while its swimming team also produced seven golds, courtesy of Jaevico Dalay (men’s 200m back), Arlyn Arcadio (women’s 200m back), Angel Villanueva (men’s 100m fly), Jacklyn Orig (women’s 100m fly), Jerome Magallanes (men’s 200m breaststroke), Jaydee Rose Dalay (women’s 200m breaststroke) and Rizal Jun Jurado, (men’s 100m free).

Bryan Tan of Bicol topped the men’s 50m back.

Mandawe, a native of Misamis Occidental who is playing for Calabarzon, cleared the 3.8m high bar to dominate the men’s pole vault.

“I thank the Lord for blessing me. He did not allow anything bad to happen to me,” said Mandawe, an 18-year old Criminology student at La Salle Dasmariñas in Cavite in Filipino.

He later said he is really striving to excel as he wants to help his poor parents in Tangub City.

The other gold winners in athletics Wednesday were Jason Calpa (WV, men’s high jump), Divina Kitongan (Cordillera Administrative Region, women’s 800m run, 2:23.6), and Rose Membrado (Ilocos Reg., men’s 10,000m walk, 59:34.6).