18-year PH boys’ record falls

ILAGAN CITY—Jose Jerry Belibestre was only 11 months old and could barely walk when Joebert Delicano set the Philippine junior record for long jump.

Almost two decades later, the pride of Bacolod City shattered the 18-year-old standard in the 2017 Ayala Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championships Friday at Ilagan Sports Complex.

“That’s my goal. I always go for the record,” said Belibestre in Filipino after leaping 7.43 meters for the gold medal in boys’ long jump that erased Delicano’s 7.41m accomplished in the 1999 Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia.

Jericho Hilario of San Beda College took the silver medal (6.82m) and Jhaelord Adriano of Isabela State University placed third in 6.80m.

“I knew I could win it. I came here not just to win the gold, but to set the new record as well,” said Belibestre, a third-year BS Education student at University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos in Bacolod City.

The eldest among four children of a bicycle store owner, who has a personal best of 7.53m, was all primed for the breakthrough after jumping at least seven meters in his six attempts.

Belibestre can easily secure a spot in the national pool but his coach, Miguel Arca, would rather have him in Bacolod than send his ward to the national training facility in Manila under the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association.

“It’s the chemistry of the athlete and the coach that makes it work,” said Arca, who is known for developing tracksters who won gold medals in the Asean School Games, Children of Asia and Malaysia Open.

Long-distance runner Julius Sermona began his comeback bid with a slim victory over Gilbert Laido of Lucena City and Southeast Asian Games record-holder Eduardo Buenavista of Philippine Air Force in the men’s 10,000m run.

Sermona, who last played for the country in the 2009 Laos SEAG, seized the gold in 33 minutes and 29.78 seconds, only three seconds quicker than Laido and 14 seconds faster than Buenavista.

“I started training again so I could join the national team,” said the 38-year-old Sermona. “I long for the days when I was still running for our country.”

James Orduna of Bulacan ruled the boys’ 5,000m run in 16:04.49, Mapua’s John Christian Capasao heaved the plate to 39.50 meters in the boys’ discus throw for the gold and Albert Mantua of RP Team-City of Ilagan prevailed in the men’s shot put with a 14.90-meter throw.

Meanwhile, three-time Olympian Marestella Torres-Sunang defeated national teammate Katherine Khay Santos with a 6.14-meter leap in women’s long jump.