13 Batang Pinoy marks fall

CEBU CITY—Veruel Verdadero sizzled with a record-breaking clocking to become the fastest athlete Monday in the 2015 POC-PSC Batang Pinoy National Finals.

The 14-year-old from Dasmariñas, Cavite, shattered the boys’ 100-meter mark in 11.40 seconds, just a blink faster from the previous mark set last year by Michael Lawrence Lopez of Cebu City (11.53) in Bacolod City.

Joselito Hapitan of South Cotabato took the silver in 11.53 with Jeremiah Cortez of Tagum City third in 11.54.

Apart from Verdadero’s feat, 13 other records were reset—six more on the track and seven in weightlifting—in the games among the country’s best athletes 15 years old and younger.

Gianelli Gatinga of Taguig leaped to 5.30m in girls’ long jump, beating the 5.18m set last year by Negros Occidental’s Romerose Villanueva.

Matching these feats at Cebu City Sports Complex were high jumper Saira De Vera of Pangasinan, Marisol Amarga (girls’ 1500m), Samantha Limos of Cebu (girls’ 100m), Isabel Orqueriza of Negros Occ. (girls’ 400m) and Hapitan (boys’ 400m).

Kateleen Marie Diaz, cousin of two-time Olympian Hidilyn Diaz, set a new mark in the girls’ 32-kilogram with a 33 kg lift in the snatch and 44 kg in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 77 kg.

Other weightlifting records: Rosegie Amis (girls’ 36 kg), Ernie Basalo (boys’ 38 kg) and Marjun Agad (boys’ 50 kg) of Zamboanga City, John Paolo Rivera Jr. of Dasmariñas (boys’ 46 kg), Justin Luke Lorete of Bohol (boys’ 34 kg) and Leonida Cambarjan of Cebu (girls’ 40 kg).