MANILA, Philippines—The well-deserved lay-off seemed to work wonders for Jose Renato Unso.

The 17-year-old son of former Philippine track star Renato Unso eclipsed the 13-year-old national junior record in the 110-meter hurdles Thursday to seize the limelight at the start of the Milo National Open track and field championship at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Unso, an incoming sports management freshman at De La Salle University, was the star of a bristling TMS Ship Agencies juggernaut that saw the wards of patron Terry Capistrano capture five of the first 15 golds at stake in the three-day meet sanctioned by the International Amateur Athletics Federation.

After pocketing four golds in the Palarong Pambansa in Puerto Princesa City where he punctuated his farewell stint with a sweep of the high school boys’ hurdles events, Unso took a one-month break before plunging back into training last week.

The ploy worked for Unso, who clocked 15.25 seconds to shatter the old mark of 15.31 set by Alonzo Jardin in the 1994 Manila Fujian Games.

“I didn’t expect the record because I took a break and thought I couldn’t recover my form in time,” said Unso, who clocked 15.7 seconds when he ruled the same event in the Palaro.

Also striking gold for TMS were Mercedita Manipol (women’s 3000m, 10 minutes, 24.7 seconds), Luville Dato-on (women’s long jump, 5.49 meters), Princess Que (women’s high jump, 1.50m) and the 4x100m squad of Arnold Villarube, Glen Banes, Jemar Aying and Teodoro Nonato that checked in at 42.93 seconds.

Korea’s Lee Jeong-Gwon became the first foreign athlete to claim a gold when he ruled the men’s hammer throw at the expense of Southeast Asian Games record-holder Arniel Ferrera of the Philippine Air Force, who was nursing a muscle strain on his neck.

Lee flung the hammer to 61.97m to win convincingly over the 27-year-old Ferrera (55.71m) and his PAF teammate Jerro Perater (45.67m).

Ferrera, an Airman First Class, whose personal-best of 60.98 was established when he topped the Southeast Asian Games last year, remained unperturbed even in defeat, saying he remains on track in his preparations for a major international throwing meet in India in October.

Multi-titled Eduardo Buenavista of the PAF earned the distinction as the meet’s first gold winner when he reigned supreme in the 5000 in 14 minutes, 43.16. His teammate, Julius Sermona, settled for the silver in 14:48.91.

UAAP powerhouse Far Eastern University and Ateneo de Manila University collected two golds apiece with Tamaraw Christopher Ulboc topping the boys’ 5000m in 15:40.9 and teammate Nariza Rubio winning in the women’s pole vault with a 2.80m effort.

Ateneo struck through men’s 110m hurdles champion Mike Mendoza and Jam Valenton, who ruled the girls’ pole vault with a 2.40m record.

In other events, Hanna Erika Sia of University of Baguio City won the women’s discus throw (34.40m), Jessa Aguilas of Occidental Mindoro topped the girls’ 3000m (11:17.31) and Judelyn Capistrano of Antique prevailed in the girls’ discus throw (34.65m).

Centrex bet Rochille Corpuz bagged the girls’ long jump gold with a 5.78m effort to foil Hong Kong’s Loh Mei Sze, who settled for the silver with a 5.37m performance. Cedelf P. Tupas, contributor