Young swimmers usher wave of new records in Palarong Pambansa
Krystal Ava David was hoping for another milestone after touching the wall at a much quicker pace than the rest.
The Grade 6 pool wonder from Colegio San Agustin looked at the clock and instantly knew that besides a clear gold medal, a fresh record had been entered in Palarong Pambansa books anew.
David scrubbed the previous standard in the elementary girls’ 50 breastroke with a narrow 36.51-second posting that wiped out the 36.63 clocking of Raissa Gavino in the 2013 Dumaguete City edition.
“I knew I was close to breaking the record and I was aware that it would be difficult. But I gave my all and got rewarded,’’ said David, her second straight victory at Marikina Sports Complex jacking up the National Capital Region’s (NCR) gold collection.
On Tuesday, the 12-year-old initially removed NCR’s Gavino from the record list of the elementary girls’ 100-meter breaststroke with a faster 1:17.98 clocking. Gavino’s previous standard of 1:19.35 stood for a decade after the same Palaro version in Dumaguete.
“To be here in the Palaro is a dream come true. I always think about it while growing up,’’ said David, who can hike her golden haul to five with three more events—200-m freestyle, 200-m individual medley and 100-m freestyle—coming up.
Counting David’s twin records, a total of seven fell in the pool on the first two days.
NCR pride Clara Yzabela Delos Santos likewise erased the secondary girls’ 50-m breast with a golden 34.46 output that replaced the 35.63 of Mary Sophia Manantan of Mimaropa set during the 2019 Davao City edition.
TJ Amaro of Camarines Sur began the record-breaking spree by wiping Calabarzon’s Jules Mirandilla’s 2019 mark of 26.34 out of the books with a 26.14-second effort for the gold in the secondary boys’ 50-m butterfly.
Capping off the day was NCR’s smashing of its own previous standard of 1:41.45 in the secondary boys’ 200-m freestyle relay.
Cezar Nazareno, Victoriano Tirol, Jared Cheng and Arbeen Thruelen’s victory compiled a clocking of 1:40.64.
NCR earlier blotted out its 200-m medley relay standard accomplished in 2018 (1:51.18) through the heroics of Ivo Nikolai Enot, Jalil Sephraim Taguinod, Ivan Nicolas Radovan and Hugh Antonio Parto with a collective effort of 1:49.47.
Another record that got obliterated was the secondary girls 100-m backstroke courtesy of Mimaropa’s Quendy Fernandez (1:06.35), who eclipsed the 1:06.58 of Samantha Therese Coronel done in 2018.
Renier Jay Ranges of Ilocos emerged as the fastest sprinter in the Palaro after crossing the line in 11.19 seconds of the secondary boys’ 100 m. Central Luzon’s Lorence Beron placed second in 11.35 seconds and Alfredo Pineda Jr. copped the bronze in 11.37.
Meanwhile, Karl Eldrew Yulo, the brother of famed world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo, advanced to the finals of four events at the start of gymnastics competitions at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Gymnastics Center.
The 15-year-old from Leveriza, Manila, topped the floor exercise, high bar, mushroom and vault, the event where he claimed a silver medal in the recent Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore. The finals will be played on Friday.
