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By Frank Calapre, Correspondent
PUERTO PRINCESA: Maika de Oro established a new
meet record in the girls’ secondary discuss throw Tuesday at the
Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex.
The 13-year-old daughter of former national
athletes heaved the disc at 32.62 meters to shatter the old mark of
32.45 meters set by Nina Marie Lumapaz of Central Visayas eight
years ago in Bacolod City.
Her golden performance also lifted Western
Visayas on top of the medal standings in the 2008 Palarong Pambansa.
“It’s really my ambition to follow the
footsteps of my parents. This is just the beginning and I will
really pursue my interest,” said de Oro, an incoming sophomore at
the St. Benilde School in Bacolod City.
Her father Manuel, who is now the provincial
sports director of Negros Occidental, once held the national record
in decathlon while her mother Maria, who also works at the
provincial capitol, was once a sprinter in the RP team before the
Lydia de Vega era.
“She is very young and very determined. I will
highly recommend Maika de Oro to the RP developmental pool. And of
course I knew her father and mother very much,” said veteran RP
team coach Claro Pellosis.
Ira Marie Hernandez of Calabarzon settled for
silver with 30.31 while Central Luzon’s Geneva Calma grabbed the
bronze with 29.63.
“It was my father, who taught me the event,
but I also learned a lot from my mother. I hope I can be considered
to the RP youth athletics team,” related de Oro.
She also set the Palaro elementary division
record in the same event last year in Koronadal City.
It was the fifth gold of Western Visayas at
press time, second to none in the 17-region meet.
De Oro’s 21-year-old sister Mayven was also a
Palaro and PRISAA champion.
The other gold medal winners from Western
Visayas were Elena Camiring in girls’ elementary shot put, Ivan
Joy Sucaldo in boys’ secondary triple jump, Ralph Efraim Gesulgon
in boys’ secondary javelin throw and Sharmaine Joy Bucaling in
girls’ secondary javelin.
Sucaldo’s 14.20-meter effort was just an inch
short of the record 14.21 set by Paolo Martinez of Southern Tagalog
in 2002.
The other gold winners in the medal-rich
athletics were Irin Balura of Central Visayas in the girls’
secondary triple jump and Aries Camporedondo of Cotabato region in
the boys’ elementary discuss throw.
Defending overall champion National Capital
Region was limited to two gold medals from elementary gymnastics.
Rizza Corpuz and Ariette Nichole Orella teamed-up to win the
girls’ elementary rhythmic gymnastics with a total of 141.50
points. Ilocos Region finished second with 127.50 points and Central
Visayas third with 126.25 points.
The 12-year-old Corpuz handed NCR its second
gold after winning the elementary gymnastics individual all-around
event with a score of 50.35 points. Orella finished second with
49.00 followed by Katherine Mae Cipriano of Ilocos Region with 46.30
points.
The Cordillera Region also made it to the
winning chart by wrapping the gold in the boys’ secondary
individual single weapon through Christopher Manuel de Leon. Joshua
Paracuelles of Central Visayas brought home the gold in boys’
arnis individual double identical weapon.
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