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UNIVERSITY of the Philippines’ Javier Luis Gomez broke the
45-year-old University Athletic Association of the Philippines
record in men’s javelin throw over the weekend at the close of the
UAAP track and field championships at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The 20-year old Gomez, a sophomore taking
up Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, cleared 60.66 meters to win
the gold, eclipsing the 57.69-meter record set by Doroteo Amirallado
of Manila Central University in 1963.
Gomez, a former Little League Baseball player,
actually ran, jumped and threw to three gold medals, two in
record-breaking performances, including that in decathlon where he
tallied 5,971 points.
His total efforts in the 10-event discipline
improved by 82 points the previous UAAP mark of 5,899 owned by
Arnold Villarube of Far Eastern, winner of a bronze medal in the
same event in last year’s 24th Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon
Ratchasima in Thailand, since December 15, 2006.
Gomez’s 4.10-meter gold performance in
the pole vault was a mere 20-centimeters short of the 4.30 meters
meet standard, making him a strong contender for the UAAP Most
Valuable Player Award in athletics.
Gomez, eldest son of newly-elected Little
League-Baseball Philippines President Jolly Gomez and wife Pechay,
is also the current national junior record holder in javelin.
“He’s very athletic that’s why after his
stint in the Little League baseball, when he asked our permission to
transfer to athletics, we gave our blessing. It’s better instead
of him getting into bad vices,” said the LLBP head. “Actually,
he is also involved in several sports, but is presently
concentrating on athletics.”
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