FUN AND GAMES Dancers perform a lively and colorful cultural performance during Monday’s opening ceremonies of the Palarong Pambansa 2012 at Narciso Ramos Civic Center in Lingayen, Pangasinan. President Aquino declared the national games open. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Defending champion National Capital Region started to assert itself in one of its favorite events with four gymnastics golds yesterday even as West Visayas raised its triumphant haul to seven in athletics on the second day of the Palarong Pambansa here.
Carlos Edriel Yulo and Martoni Abana strung up two gold medals each for the Big City gymnasts while the West Visayans struck in the elementary boys’ triple jump and elementary girls’ shot put as both regions resumed their perennial rivalry for supremacy in the weeklong sportsfest for public school elementary and high school athletes.
Abana collected 26.9 points to snare the boys’ high school individual all-around gold before leading NCR to the team gold at the People’s Astrodome in Dagupan City. The NCR boys actually staged a 1-2-3 finish as Jan Gwynn Timbang (26.4) took the silver and Christopher Villanueva (25.8) the bronze.
Yulo duplicated the feat in the boys’ elementary division, seizing the individual all-around gold with 27.250 and powering NCR to the team championship. John Lawrence Cabido of Region 12 picked up the silver with John Ivan Cruz of NCR settling for the bronze.
At the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center, Cesar Fernandez ruled the elementary boys’ triple jump with a 12.15-meter effort and Sheinne Sanchez made it a double for WV by ruling the elementary girls’ shot put with 9.95m throw.
Meanwhile, opening-day big winner Julian Fuentes of Cagayan Valley was foiled in his bid for the high school boys’ triple jump gold when Calabarzon’s John Miguel Lanuza snatched victory with a leap of 13.84m.
Fuentes, who cleared 7.26m in the long jump for a new meet mark last Saturday, settled for the silver this time with a 13.54 effort.
“I’m very happy; I trained a lot this summer,” said the 12-year-old Yulo, who graduated with honors from the Doña Aurora Quezon Elementary School and is a protege of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
Yulo, who hails from San Andres, Manila, kept his winning streak in the individual all-around which began in 2010 in San Jose, Tarlac.
The WV athletes are expected to crowd NCR for top honors as they are also favored in high school softball, high school baseball, elementary basketball and high school basketball and lawn tennis.
Action in swimming starts today at the Dagupan pool with 16 gold medals at stake in both elementary and HS divisions.