Hidilyn Diaz batters 6 marks as PNG lifters frolick
Photo by AFP
BACOLOD CITY—Hidilyn Diaz veritably stood way over her 4-foot-11 frame yesterday after shattering six records in the here.
The 20-year-old lifter from Zamboanga City reset her own marks in the women’s Open and junior 58-kilogram categories of the weightlifting competitions that saw a total of 15 national records fall all on the same day at the SM North Terminal.
Diaz, a 2008 Beijing Olympics veteran, registered a 95 kg in the snatch and 120 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 215, topping the scores of 94-115-209 she posted in the same events during the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
Her feat also eclipsed her old records in the junior ranks (18-20). She lifted 111 kg in the clean and jerk in a tournament last year in Uzbekistan, and 88 in the snatch and 196 total in the 2009 National Open in Bohol.
“This is a measurable sport and I was really prepared to break the record,” said Diaz, who will aim for a spot in the 2012 London Olympics through the World Championships scheduled Nov. 11 to 20 in France.
Diaz will fly straight to Indonesia for the 26th Southeast Asian Games on Nov. 12 to 28 right after the world championships.
“I’ve sacrificed so much for this [sport] after I stopped going to school two years ago,” the computer science sophomore from Universidad de Zamboanga said.
Billiards produced a pair of shockers yesterday as reigning World 8-Ball champion Dennis Orcollo fell to a walk-in participant with a zero track record in national competitions and Warren Kiamco lost to a virtual unknown.
Sid Tingson of La Carlota City pulled off a 9-5 upset of Orcollo, the 9-ball singles gold medalist in the Guangzhou Asiad, while Rodrigo Geronimo stunned Kiamco, 9-7, in their round-of-16, 9-ball matches at the Gaisano Mall.
In his first national tournament, Tingson lagged behind, 2-4, before catching Orcollo, 5-5. The 21-year-old neophyte then won the next four racks to seal Orcollo’s doom in the winner’s-break competition and advance to the quarterfinals.
“I was frightened to face him [Orcollo] because of his stature,” said Tingson, a BS Marine Transportation senior in this city’s John B. Lacson College Foundation.
In swimming, Jessie Khing Lacuna grabbed his fifth gold in the 200-meter individual medley (2:11.76), beating Gian Berino (2:18.16) and Mark Joseph Pilapil (2:38.79), while Jasmine Alkhaldi pocketed her fourth in the 100m freestyle in 59.13 seconds.
Nine-time SEA Games champion John Baylon also set a record of sorts, easily pocketing the gold in the judo -81 kg senior event over Jayson Senales to clinch another stint in the SEA Games.
Other winners in judo were Gilbert Ramirez (men’s -73 kg), Angelo Gumila (-90 kg), Mohammad El Helou (-100 kg), Matthew Simon Jao (100 kg), Annie Rami-rez (women’s -57 kg), Eunice Luce-ro (women’s -63 kg), Jerika Senal-es (-70 kg), Adrienne Bernardez (-78 kg) and Pecious Rosos (78 kg).
National pool members Maybelyn Pablo, Patricia Llena and Lea Ruth Llena also ripped weightlifting records in their events.
Pablo’s 76 kg in the snatch of the women’s Open -75 kg broke Evan Gicain’s 72.5 during the 2005 National Open in Cebu and the national standard of 70 in the junior category. She also smashed the junior marks in the clean and jerk and total with lifts of 98 and 174.
Patricia Llena, 17, erased her mark in the snatch (83), which she set in the 2010 Youth Olympics, and total (181) in a Dubai meet two years ago by posting 85 and 185, respectively.
The younger Llena, 14, submitted a 75 in the snatch and 85 in the clean and jerk for a total of 160 to demolish Pablo’s records of 50-67-117 established in 2008 in Ifugao.
Winning their respective weight classes in taekwondo were Ferdinand Delizo (men’s bantam), Billy Joe Soria (fin), Samuel Thomas Morrison (light), Jyra Marie Lizardo (women’s bantam) and Leigh Anne Nuguid (fin).
In muay, national team standout Zaidi Laruan knocked out Micheal Catalan of Iloilo City to snag the gold in the men’s lightweight category while Jojie Veloro (pinweight), Mark Tura (flyweight), Jay Harold Gregorio (welter), May Ibao (women’s pinweight) and Jonahan Polosan (men’s 60kg) topped their respective classes.
John Mark Galedo added the men’s road race gold a day after topping the individual time trial in cycling. The 2009 Tour of Luzon champ, won the 85 km race in Murcia town in two hours, 51 minutes and 48 seconds.
Veteran rider Merculio Ramos checked in at second (2:55.37) and Leopoldo Japitana of Bacolod copped the bronze (3:01.14).
Japitana seized the mountain bike gold on Wednesday in 1:35.35, besting Guangzhou Asian Games campaigner Alvin Benosa (1:39.01) and Aldren Alosado (1:39.10).
