SEA Games champ leads PNG show
MANILA, Philippines — Mario Fernandez, the 2013 Southeast Asian Games bantamweight champion, spearheaded an impressive show by national boxers Thursday in the PSC-POC Philippine National Games at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Fernandez, 20, demolished fellow national pool member Jonas Bacho, 3-0, for the bantamweight gold and emerged the top contender in his division for a place in the national contingent for the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in September.
“We’re impressed by his performance. All of his victories were lopsided,” said Ed Picson, executive director of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines.
Other national boxers who triumphed were flyweight Rey Saludar, lightweight Junel Cantancio, light welter Dennis Galvan, light heavy Wilfredo Lopez and lady flyweights Maricris Igam, Josie Gabuco and bantam Irish Magno, among others.
Picson said the performances of national pool members Jayson Daming Jr. (boys’ light fly), Hipolito Banal (boys’ flyweight) and Jade Bornea (men’s flyweight) would be evaluated. Daming, Banal and Bornea ended up with bronze medals.
At Rizal Memorial swimming pool, Precilla Loren Aquino of San Juan, La Union sparkled with three gold medals. The 16-year-old topped the 200m individual medley, 100m breaststroke and the 800m freestyle.
Skyler Claveria of San Pablo City secured two gold medals (100m butterfly, 100m breaststroke) on Day 6 of competitions backed by Summit Water, Forever Rich, Bala Energy Drink, Milo, Standard Insurance, Ayala Corporation and PLDT MyDSL.
Other swimmers who grabbed their second gold were Catherine Bondad of San Pablo City (50m backstroke), Arianna Herranz also of San Pablo City (100m fly), Manila’s Roanne Florence Yu (50m freestyle) and Franz Marquez of Quezon province (200m IM).
Warren Kiamco bounced back from a disappointing finish in men’s 9-ball of billiards by downing Jesson Marabi, 9-2, for the 10-ball title while wushu artist Thornton Quieney Lou Sayan grabbed two golds (men’s freestyle nangun and freestyle nanquan).
