LEGAZPI, Albay—The son of a farmer from Quezon led two others in setting a new meet record in shot put, while a big girl from Kalookan handed the National Capital Region its second gold medal in athletics in Day 2 of the 2016 Palarong Pambansa.
Fifteen-year old Jerick Mendoza heaved a 400-gram spear at a much longer distance on his fourth attempt, and reset an 18-year old meet mark in the elementary boys javelin throw yesterday at the track stadium of the Bicol University-Albay Sports and Cultural Complex here.
Mendoza, an incoming sixth grader from Malibago Elementary School in Mulanay Quezon, who used a heavier javelin during training, recorded a distance of 57.50 meters with his throw.
“Nilakasan ko ang bato at binilisan ang steps,” said Mendoza, whose father is a rice farmer back home, after he surpassed 51.88 meter feat of Southern Tagalog Region’s Jonah Robles in 1998 by 6.62 meters.
It was likewise Mendoza's second medal after he earlier settled for the silver in shot put to NCR’s Lawrence Tagaca, who recorded a 10.76 meters throw.
Mendoza's rivals in the javelin, Jan Marvin Francisco of Region IV-A and Melvin Lacson of Region V, took the silver and the bronze also record-breaking fashions with throws of 54.15 meters and 51.92 meters respectively.
While Mendoza was rejoicing a few meters away, 16-year old Daniella Daynata was having her own moment of celebration in the nearby secondary girls shotput action.
The 5'5 Daynata, a 10th grader from Kalayaan National High School, gave her alma mater a fitting farewell by clinching the gold in the secondary girls shot put event.
The 16-year old Daynata hurled the ball at a distance of 10.94 meters on her third try, while Region X’s Sylvia Abunda and Marizelle Buer of Region XII settled for the silver and bronze, respectively, with their 10.55 meter and 10.42 meter feats, respectively.
Daynata, the daughter of a family driver back home, said she dedicates her medal to her mom who passed away last year.
In swimming, UAAP MVPs and La Salle Zobel schoolmates Maurice Sacho Ilustre and Nicole Pamintuan snared two golds each with Ilustre ruling the secondary boys 400-meter freestyle and the 200 meter butterfly.
Pamintuan, who won seven golds for Calabarzon last year before she transferred to another school in Metro Manila, grabbed the golds in the 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter backstroke.
The 16-year old Ilustre bested Christian Anor of Davao in 4:12.94 in he 400-meter freestyle, before taking the 200-meter freestyle gold in 2:08.00, which is 32 seconds of the meet record.
Anor won a gold medal for Western Visayas after prevailing over NCR’s Jerard Jacinto in 1:01.20 in the 100-m backstroke.
NCR now has four golds after Ancilla Mari Manzano dominated the women’s artistics gymnastics meet at St. Agnes Academy, capturing three golds in the individual all around, the floor exercise and the balance beam events.
She settled for the silver medal to Samuelle Yacob of Region 3 in the vault event.
In other athletics events, Efrelyn Democer of Region X dominated the secondary girls javelin throw, hurling the spear in 38.79 meters for the gold, while Buer and Jayzamed Cardies of Cagayan Valley finished second and third.
In secondary boys basketball, Region 7 posted its first win with a 89-55 dumping of Zamboanga Province, while Davao Region crushed Negros Island, 80-58, and Region I ripped Region 12, 102-84.