Zambo lifters grab limelight

TACLOBAN CITY—Pocket-sized Mary Flor Diaz of Zamboanga City scored big in weightlifting even as tracksters of host Leyte Sports Academy shone yesterday in the POC-PSC Batang Pinoy 2012 Visayas leg at Leyte Sports Development Center here.

The 4-foot-11 Diaz, a first cousin of two-time Olympian and Southeast Asian Games champion Hidilyn Diaz, prevailed in the girls’ 40-kg category with lifts of 42 in snatch and  55 in clean and jerk for a 97-kg total. She also powered her team’s two-gold and two-silver haul in girls’ weightlifting which served as the national finals.

“I’m very proud of her (Hidilyn) when she went to the Olympics, I know she will be happy for me, too,” said  the 13-year-old Mary Flor, who is a high school sophomore at Universidad de Zamboanga, in Filipino

“I took up the sport when I was eight years old because everybody in our family is into weightlifting,” she added.

It was 1-2 finish for Zamboanga City in the event as Ma. Dessa Delos Santos took the silver with a 37-47-84 effort. Margareth Colonia claimed the team’s second gold by ruling the  girls’ above-44kg class with a 50-61-111 lift.

Meanwhile, LSA tracksters exploited their familiarity of the homecourt when they ran away with nine gold medals.

LSA’s Karen Janario clocked 20.7 seconds to win the girls’ 13-under 100-meter hurdles, while teammate Melissa Escoton timed 16.9 seconds to rule the same event in the girls’ 14-15 division. The hosts also swept the 1,500m run with Aldrin Hermosilla winning the boys’ 13-under, Feiza Jane Lenton in the girls’ 13-under and Lyra Baytan in the girls’ 14-15.

LSA director Lucrecio Calo credited the success to the year-round, P5-million training program for the athletes fully supported by the provincial government. “Our goal is to get athletes who are at par with those in the National Capital Region,” said Calo, who also served for 14 years as PSC executive director.

LSA also ruled the girls’ and boys’ 13-under 4x100m relays and girls’ and boys’ 14-15 4×100 relays.