PNG: Mapua quartet rips junior relay record

A MAPUA quartet erased a 31-year-old junior national mark in the 4×400-meter relay to cap track and field action yesterday while University of Visayas and University of Santo Tomas remained unbeaten in the under-16 basketball championship of the POC-PSC Philippine National Games.

Sprinter Ryan Bigyan joined John Cedric Montesser, Fernan Lopez and John Renzelle Capingian in topping the relay in three minutes and 21.10 seconds at Philsports track oval, beating the 3:23.92 record set by Eliseo Fernandez, Dario De Rosas, Giovanni Ebreo and Roel Pellosis during the national open held on April 24, 1982.

Emerging as the toughest athlete was Jesson Ramil Cid of Dingras, Ilocos Norte, who ruled the senior men’s decathlon with 6,673 points. National team mainstay Joebert Delicano was second (5,731) and Mark Ian Delos Santos of Run For Change third (5,345) .

Far Eastern U’s Janry Ubas grabbed the gold medal in junior men’s decathlon (6,055) with John Rey Mabuyao of University of Perpetual Help (5,401) and UP Diliman’s Kim Patrick Flores placing second and third, respectively.

At the Arellano U Taft gymnasium, the UV Baby Lancers rolled to their third straight win after crushing Lucena City, 92-40. The defending under-16 national champions earlier demolished Cagayan De Oro, 86-58, and AMA University, 86-74, through the consistent plays of Leonard Santillan and Ralph Jude Dinolan.

The UST Tiger Cubs kept pace with the Baby Lancers in the 10-team tournament organized by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas with emphatic victories over Dagupan, 109-24, and Claret, 89-60.

SBP deputy executive director Bernie Atienza said the U-16 national finals is the federation’s way of contributing to the objectives of the PNG. Atienza added that SBP NCR director Peter Cayco offered the venue to push through with the tournament when everybody thought basketball had backed out of the games.

In Greco-Roman wrestling, Filipino-Iranian grappler Abdolnavid Gharibi prevailed in the 120-kilogram class while two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Margarito Angana and Jason Balabal emerged champions anew in the men’s 55 kg and 84 kg.

The other winners were Noel Norada (60 kg), Zamboanga’s Jose Romulo Terio (66 kg), Mandaluyong’s Smael Trazona (74 kg) and Erwin Marinas (96 kg).

“We hope all our recommended wrestlers for the 2013 SEA Games will be able to participate,” said Karlo Sevilla, secretary general of the Wrestling Association of the Philippines.

Sevilla said he’s hoping that Greco-Roman bets Jefferson Manatad, Angana, Norada, Trazona and Balabal would make it to the SEAG along with freestyle wrestlers Alvin Lobreguito, Jhonny Morte, Joseph Angana, Joshua Sapinoso and women grapplers Kristine Jambora, Rosegyn Malabja and Minalyn Foy-os.