Veruel Verdadero still Palaro fastest

VIGAN, Ilocos Sur, Philippines — Calabarzon’s Veruel Verdadero emerged as Palaro’s fastest man for the second straight year as he dominated the 100m dash in record-breaking fashion at the President Elpidio Quirino Stadium here yesterday.

Verdadero, a quintuple gold medalist in last year’s Palaro in San Jose, Antique, clocked 10.55 seconds to break the record of 10.65 he set in the heats two days ago as well as the national juniors hand time mark of 10.6 Julio Bayaban posted in the National Open in Marikina City 39 years ago.

Interestingly, Ralph Waldo Soquilon clocked 10.3 seconds in the weekly relays in Manila 16 years ago but was not recognized by the PATAFA.

The 16-year-old incoming Grade 11 student at Emilio Aguinaldo College-Immaculate Concepcion Academy in Dasmariñas, Cavite had actually shattered the meet mark of 10.75 registered by Davao’s Feberoy Kasi two years ago in Legazpi City, Albay with a 10.65-second clocking in the heats.

“I’m still looking at four more golds,” said Verdadero, who represented Socsargen in the Palaro as an elementary athlete before being recruited by Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Verdadero will also compete in the 200m, 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m relays with hopes of duplicating his five-gold feat last year.

Records continued to fall in athletics as Central Luzon’s Ed Delina heaved 42.67m to erase the old meet mark of 41.68m in secondary boys’ discus throw set by Central Visayas’ Clifford John Bonjoc in Iloilo City 13 years ago.

Posting the second-best time after the first three throws with 37.58m behind Calabarzon’s John Rafael Lamatan, Delina, an 18-year-old native of San Felipe, Zambales, breached the 40m mark in his last throw, including that record-breaking, gold-clinching heave on the fifth.

Bonjoc could only complete one throw – 41.85 also on his fifth attempt – and ended up with a silver.

Delina later said he could have done better.

“My personal best is 44m-plus. Maybe I spent too much energy training,” said Delina.

Western Visayas’ Avegail Beliran joined the assault at the meet records as she registered 41.46m in elementary girls javelin to rip the old mark of 40.63m set by Gia Bucag in San Jose, Tarlac eight years ago.

Edward Josh Buenavista, son of two-time Olympian Eduardo, took the 3000m steeplechase gold in 9:52.49, edging Bicol’s Jerry Vasquez, who clocked 9:52.64.

Western Visayas’ Ritchie Estampador got the bronze in 10:01.70.

Cagayan Valley’s Algin Gomez leapt to 14.55m to pocket the gold in secondary boys’ triple jump in a follow-up to his long jump feat two days ago.

Over at the Brgy. 9, Titong Singson Multi-Purpose Covered Court, Caraga bagged three golds in wrestling courtesy of Mhel Narit in the 46kg and Julius Tejero in the 50kg secondary boys cadet and Sherilyn Tangra in the 52kg secondary girls cadet.

Lovelyn Ann dela Cruz (44kg) and Jane Erasmo (48kg) delivered a couple of mints for Eastern Visayas also in secondary cadet.

Other gold medal winners at the mat were Bicol’s Jezza Villarosa (40kg), Central Visayas’ Jonjie Enyong and Cordillera Administrative Region’s Mark Grunner Gama (54kg).

NCR tankers Mark Jiron Rotoni, Michaela Jasmine Mojdeh and Philip Joaquin Santos joined the growing list of record-breakers as they dominated the secondary boys breaststroke, elementary girls individual medley and secondary boys IM, respectively.

Rotoni clocked 2:27:66 to eclipse last year’s record of 2:28:28 posted by NCR’s Drew Magbag in Antique while Mojdeh clocked 2:33:12 to erase the two-year-old mark of 2:33:77 by Central Visayas’ Raven Faith Villanueva in Legazpi City.

Santos timed in 2:13:05 to batter the old record of 2:13:28 set by Juan Carlo Piccio of Western Visayas exactly two decades ago in Bacolod City.

In archery at the San Ildefonso Elementary School grounds, Central Visayas’ Phoebe Nicole Amistoso pulled off a pair of hard-fought victories to snare the golds in the secondary girls’ 30m and 40m events.

In the 40m, Amistoso edged Caraga’s Julie An Malinog, 326-324, and then turned back Central Luzon’s Ma. Karylle Pangilinan, 339-336, in the 30m to emerge the first double-gold medalist.