Palaro hard-pressed to discover new talents

This year’s Palarong Pambansa in Lingayen, Pangasinan, may boast advanced technology with regard to coverage and results-gathering but its biggest challenge, inevitably, will be to come up with cutting-edge performances.

Last year in Dapitan City, only six records were registered in the centerpiece track and field and swimming competitions which didn’t bode well for the reported P200-million multi-sporting event aimed at discovering the best athletic talents in the country.

Organizers announced that results of the May 6 to 12 event will be fanned out through social media networks, while the action will be carried on live streaming, something which began two years ago in Tarlac.

But all told, there are dozens of records that stood in the archives for more than a decade including the glamour sprint events over 100 and 200 meters.

The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao’s Nasser Tacongcong’s 11.40 seconds mark in the elementary boys’ century dash was registered yet in 1998. Irene Mojar of Bicol Region still holds the girls’ 100m standard of 12.80 seconds since 1997.

Nasser is also the 200m record holder (23.70 seconds), while National Capital Region’s Maureen Emily Schrijvers holds the mark in the girls’ side in 24.5 seconds set in 2008.