PH team mainstays steal PNG show; records fall

RUNNERS during the 5000m event for men get going during the Philippine National Games. See story below. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Team Philippines strikes back.

Their slots in the national pool under threat from young aspirants, the PH team mainstays nailed eight gold medals on different fronts, including three in record fashion in weightlifting yesterday in the Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission National Games.

Olympian Jessie King Lacuña captured three golds in swimming while fellow national team members Marian Jade Capadocia and Iris Rañola held their ground in tennis and billiards, respectively at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

But it was the triumvirate of Hidilyn Diaz, Kristel Macrohon and Maybelline Pablo who created a big stir as they set new weightlifting standards in topping their respective events at University of the East gym.

Diaz reset the PH record in women’s 63kg class with a snatch, clean and jerk, and total lifts of 100-123-223, surpassing the 90-105-193 effort of Cecille Atilano during the 2007 Southeast Asian Games.

Macrohon, 16, posted 76-93-169 in girls’ 63kg to erase the 2011 PNG mark of Lea Ruth Llena of 75-85-160. Pablo lifted  83-96-179 to better her old PH junior women’s standard of 70-80-150.

Other veterans who shone were Arniel Ferrera, who grabbed his second athletics gold medal,  national cyclists Ronald Oranza and Rustom Lim, and  karatekas Mark Andrew Manantan, Bryan Fontillas and  kata specialists Tracy Lynn Basalo and OJ delos Santos.

The 17-year-old Capadocia, the top seed, crushed Edlyn Balanga, 6-3, 6-0, for the women’s singles gold medal at Rizal Memorial Tennis Center while Rañola, the reigning Southeast Asian Games 8-ball and 9-ball titlist, downed 14-year-old Cheska Centeno, 9-7, for the women’s 9-ball gold at Billiards and Snookers Congress of the Philippines hall.

Lacuña cruised to three victories in swimming at RMSC Aquatics Center. The 20-year-old London Olympian, who hails from Pulilan, Bulacan, topped the 400-meter and 100-m freestyle and the 200m butterfly.

“My goal is to sweep all nine events I’m entered,” said Lacuña.

Ferrera, unchallenged in hammer throw, added the discus gold with a heave of 42.61 meters at Philsports track oval while Oranza clocked 47 minutes and 15.3 seconds in the individual race-against-the-clock with Lim, who won the 151.6-kilometer road race on Wednesday, checking in second, 1:06.3 back.

Manantan ruled the -61kg class in the juniors’ 16-17 kumite  while Fontillas (-76kg) also took the gold in the -76kg division. Delos Santos and Basalo won the male and female 16-above kata event held at Sta. Lucia Grand East Mall.

Cebu’s Marjorie Villareal (-53kgs) and Zamboanga’s Estiffen Angeles (-55kgs), two national team hopefuls, also won their bouts.