Palaro 2015: NCR pulls away

PALARO IN FULL SWING Davao Del Norte Gov. Rodolfo Del Rosario (right) and son Rodolfo “Rodney” del Rosario Jr. make the ceremonial serves opening hostilities in the beach volleyball competition of the Palarong Pambansa 2015 at Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort City of Samal, Davao del Norte. Action in the event completes the 27-sport schedule of the games among the country’s finest student-athletes. (See story on A30) RICHARD A. REYES

DAVAO DEL NORTE—National team aspirant Karen Janario of Eastern Visayas crowned herself as the 2015 Palarong Pambansa fastest girl even as National Capital Region’s swimming armada continued its relentless charge behind golden boy Seth Isaak Martin Thursday.

Janario, one of the talents from the Leyte Sports Academy based in Tacloban City, breezed through the secondary girls’ 100-meter dash with a time of 12.75 seconds. Mimaropa’s Ivan Jeffrey Manjares took the gold in the boys’ side.

The 15-year-old Janario, who was among the LSA students rescued at the height of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013, is also a favorite in the crowd-drawing events of 200 meters and 100m hurdles this weekend. She swept those two events along with the 100 meters in last year’s Batang Pinoy.

Over at DavNor Sports and Tourism Center, the 12-year-old Martin accounted for three of seven NCR golds in swimming for the day, two of them coming in record times, as the perennial overall champion pulled ahead by 10 victories over closest pursuer Calabarzon.

Martin anchored NCR’s elementary boys’ team in the 400-meter medley relay to victory in four minutes and 41.55 seconds which erased the 4:41.75 record of another NCR relay team in the 2006 Naga edition. He made a five-gold sweep in this year’s NCR Palaro held at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Martin, winner of five golds in this year’s NCR Palaro at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, also captured the 200m individual medley and the 100m freestyle golds after topping the 100m backstroke and helping the 200m medley relay team win last Wednesday.

With two golds already tucked under his belt, another NCR standard bearer Sacho Ilustre struck again in the boys’ secondary 400 medley relay with Christian Sy, Drew Magbag and Andrae Pogiongko.

They clocked 4:07.00 which eclipsed the 4:10.66 set by NCR also during the 2006 Naga Palaro.

Ilustre, who established new standards in ruling the 400m freestyle and 200m butterfly, remained on track to repeating his seven-of-seven feat last year in Sta. Cruz, Laguna where he was hailed as the Most Outstanding Athlete.

The other NCR golds came from Miguel Barlisan and Portia Kate Doragos, who won the secondary boys’ and girls’ 200m breaststroke, respectively Jules Katherine Ong, who topped the elementary girls’ 100m freestyle.

NCR now has 33 golds, 29 silvers and 21 bronzes in the overall race with Calabarzon second (23-14-20), Western Visayas third (14-19-17) and Cordillera Autonomous Regions fourth (14-14-7).