Bisdaks too fast and furious Pelletero leads the show as Team Visayas sizzles in athletics

CEBU, Philippines -  Team Visayas athletes led by Kit Vincent Pelletero proved too fast and furious for their rivals at the tracks, hauling in three out of four gold medals available in the 100m run of athletics competition in the 5th Milo Little Olympics National Finals yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Center.

At 5-foot-3, Pelletero maybe the smallest among the competitors in the second boys century dash but stood with the biggest of them all in terms of heart and desire, graciously sprinting his way to the finish line with the best time of 11.25 seconds to emerge as the fastest man in the three-day joust.

Pelletero's resounding triumph set up a perfect start for host Team Visayas aiming not only to regain its supremacy in this Nestle Philippines-bankrolled event but also hoping to provide  a glimmer of  hope and uplift the spirits of its people who are still reeling from the aftermath of the powerful earthquake and deadly super typhoon that battered the region just three week apart from each other.

On his personal end, one may call it a beginner's luck, but Pelletero said his moment of glory was nothing but product of hardwork and perseverance.

  "I was a bit tensed because all my opponents are taller than me. But I did not mind it because all I desire is to give my best in the race," said the junior student from Negros Oriental High School.

Pelletero was way ahead of his closest pursuer Johan Kyle Bautista of the National Capital Region, while Mindanao's Edsel John Calibo got the bronze with a 11:55 clocking.

Except for Pelletero's female counterpart Elrica Anne Guro who only settled for silver with the time of 12:78 seconds, Team Visayas nearly pulled off a shutout in the 100m race, with Pearl Abellar and Antonio Czar Octaviano grabbing the golds in the elementary category in 13:17 and 12:82, respectively.

Pelletero's sister Katherine May placed only second in the elementary girls 100m run, but was able to bounce back with a golden showing in long jump. She cleared the bar at the height of 4.47m in her second attempt.

Bohol's Rensel Rosales added gilt to Team Visayas' haul via shot put event with a distance of  9.22m.

Rosales did not also expect to win since she had an on-and-off training due to the temblor that shook Bohol last month.

Rosales, a graduating student of Tagbilaran Grace Christian School, said she had to make do with an available area in her school for practice as the Carlos P. Garcia Cultural and Sports Center could not be used as it has been used as landing sites for choppers doing relief operations in Bohol.

Ninolito Justiniane from Beatriz Durano NHS of  Danao City also made his fellow Bisdak athletes proud after he stopped the 200m run. What made his feat more laudable is the fact that he just trained on his own without the aid of a coach nor trainor.

“Nag-ako ako ra gyud kog training. Wala man koy trainor parehas ana nilang coach Banzon (Elde) nya guba pa gyud ang oval sa Danao,” said Justiniane.

A runner from the University of  San Carlos in Gleizl Faith Pelayre also caught some of the spectators' attention when she was seen crying as she lost her new athletic shoes.

Good thing that it was not her spike shoes that was allegedly stolen and she still had something nice to think about, her golder performance in the 100m hurdles with the time of 17.44 seconds and a silver from the 200m run won by her teammate Pearl Abellar.

MLO-Visayas' multi-titled trackster Mary Joy Loberanis, for her part, bounced back from a frustrating loss in the 800m event by lording it over in the 1,500m run with the time of five minutes and 17.08 clocking.

The other gold medal contributors for Team Visayas in athletics were April Joy Batoto in the elementary girls 400m hurdle and Joseph Berdin in the elementary boys shotput.

While they scorched the tracks in masterful fashion, the Bisdak tankers had a lukewarm performance, claiming only a pair of golds, so far.

Michael Ichiro Kong produced the first gold for Visayas in swimming through the 200m butterfly with the time of 2:20:12, while the second was contributed by the little-known Psalm Daniel Aquino of Asian College of Technology.

NCR leads the overall standing in swimming with 403 points followed by Luzon with 221 and Visayas  with 220.

In taekwondo played at the Cebu Eastern College, the Bisdaks bagged two golds through Nicole Frances Remegio and Cha Yna Labiste plus a silver from Shaira Isabel Garbanzos and a bronze from Mary Jocelyn Syllanto and Cyrillene Odi. In the elementary boys, however, Mindanao is on top with three golds, while Luzon got two and Visayas with one through the efforts of Patrick Keith Nacorda.

In gymnastics, Visayas snared the team gold in the elementary men's artistic  and NCR in the girls side.

The Bisdaks also fared well in basketball, volleyball, badminton and football among other sporting events but their fate of reclaiming the throne stripped away from them by NCR last year will be known today when the multi-sport conclave featuring some of the country's best developmental athletes comes to a close. (FREEMAN)