Ilocos Region’s Cimatu rips Palaro javelin record

DAPITAN CITY—She’s done it twice before, but this time Stephanie Cimatu did it in record style.

Sporting henna tattoo across her short limbs and a crew-cut hair, the 17-year-old Cimatu of Ilocos Region claimed her third straight Palarong Pambansa girls’ secondary javelin gold with a throw of 41.27 meters that shattered a 13-year-old mark.

Cimatu, in her last Palaro, finally erased the 1998 benchmark of 39.72m, set by Central Visayas’ Melba Quirino in Bacolod City, on her fourth try at the newly built Jose Rizal Memorial State University track and field oval.

“I really wanted to break that record ever since my first Palaro,” said Cimatu of Bangui, Ilocos Norte, who also won the meet’s first gold for the third straight year.

“We were confident she will leave us with a new Palaro record,” said her coach Jesse Juan Villaluz, noting that Cimatu posted 4.20m last year at the Asean Schools Championships in Malaysia.

West Visayas picked up two golds in the boys’ division of athletics, and perennial overall champion National Capital Region kicked off its campaign with two golds in gymnastics.

Mark Gerald Layumas of West Visayas leapt to a distance of 6.86m to nail the boys’ secondary long jump gold while teammate Ralph Efreaem Gesulgon won the boys’ shot put with a 13.68m effort.

Gesulgon’s effort was considered a new record as the tournament used a 6 kg ball (juniors weight) for the first time.

Western Mindanao’s Arthur Enon holds the record of 13.19m, achieved using the 7.26 kg ball (men’s weight) which he set in 1990.

Rachel Arellano, Francine Balburias and Jillian Eunice Reyes finished 1-2-3 in the individual category of gymnastics, while NCR handily took the team gold over Central Visayas and Soccsksargen.

Cimatu, a silver medalist in the Asian Youth Games in Singapore two years ago, will also see action in today’s shot put and in basketball, where she is the starting forward for Region 1.

The Pagudpud National High School graduate is already being eyed by the University of the Philippines to bolster its lineup in the coming UAAP competition.

The Big City athletes, champions in both divisions the past five years, are expected to strike heavily in swimming which starts today with 16 final events. But Calabarzon is expected to crowd NCR as overall champion this year.

NCR started its campaign in boys’ secondary football with a 7-2 victory over Davao Region (Region 11).