Records fall in Palarong Pambansa

Samantha Coronel: 2 new swim records —MARC REYES

VIGAN CITY—She took up swimming at  8 years old because her parents felt she didn’t have anything to do during summer vacations.

Seven years later, Samantha Therese Coronel is the owner of two Palarong Pambansa records in the pool.

“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamt not just of winning gold but also setting a record,” said Coronel, the anchor of the National Capital Region team.

She actually set two on Tuesday after topping the secondary girls’ 100-meter backstroke finals in one-minute and 6.58 seconds at President Elpidio Quirino Stadium here, obliterating the old mark of 1:07.52 set by NCR’s Nicole Meah Pamintuan last year.

The incoming 11th grader at Colegio San Agustin-Makati then led the NCR relay squad of Thanya Angelyn dela Cruz, Camille Lauren Buico and Zoe Marie Hilario to the gold in the 200-meter relay medley, getting to the final heat with a 2:03.49 clocking in the semifinals, also a new record.

The NCR swimmers bettered the previous mark of 2:14.31 of another Metro Manila team in the 2006 edition. Their gold medal-winning time was 2:03.65.

Records in track and field and archery also fell by the wayside, with NCR’s Hazel Kasandra Alcantara shattering a 26-year-old mark in the secondary girls’ shot put.

Alcantara had an effort of 11.88 meters in winning the gold, eclipsing the old standard of 11.20 set by Marites Barrios of Zamboanga Region in 1992.

Archer Phoebe Nicole Amistoso of Central Visayas set a new standard in secondary girls’ 40 meters by tallying 326 points for the gold medal. The old mark was 318 and was held by Charmaine Villamor of the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Francis James San Gabriel of the Ilocos Region ruled the secondary boys’ 2,000-meter walk with a time of nine minutes and 33.01 seconds that easily broke the 2017 feat of 10:11.31 of NCR’s Bryan Oxales.

“I was not expecting to win because last year’s champion is here,” said the 17-year-old San Gabriel from Umingan Central High School.

Oxales timed 9:30.15 in settling for the silver this time.

Two other new marks were established late Sunday courtesy of Veruel Verdadero of Calabarzon in secondary boys’ 100m dash semifinals and Ann Katherine Quitoy of Western Visayas in secondary girls’  javelin throw.

Verdadero’s 10.65 seconds in the semifinals was better than the 10.09 of Western Visayas’ Daniel Noval.

Quitoy heaved to a distance of 45.72 meters to better the 2018 mark of Syvian Faith Abunda of Northern Mindanao (42.85).  —WITH A REPORT FROM LEONCIO BALBIN JR.