Vidal, Flores bag National wall climbing titles at Pink Patio

Junjun Vidal of Cebu and Ina Flores of Metro Manila emerged champions in the men’s and women’s open categories in the first leg of the National Sports Wall Climbing Competitions held recently at the Pink Patio Resort in Boracay.

Andrew Favis, Prescilla Solis, Sebastian Preglo and Allaya Mongaya ruled their respective divisions in the three-day event dubbed "Hang Loose," organized by Pink Patio Resort and sponsored by Citylite 88.3, Joey Rhythms 92.3, San Mig Light and Gentext.

"Guts lang talaga. If you have no guts, you’ll go nowhere," said Vidal, 18, after besting seven rivals in the final round.

"I just climbed normally. It’s about taking one problem at a time. The corners were pretty rough but my experience (from past climbs) helped me through," said Flores, who beat fellow veteran internationalist Lissa Lesaca in a winner-take-all showdown.

Sports Climbing Association of the Philippines Inc. president Simoun Sandoval said the event served as part of the elimination for the national team to the next Asian X Games.

"It’s not really how fast you finish the route but it boils down to how high you get. The higher you go, the more points you obtain. That’s how you would be ranked among your peers," said Sandoval.

"Mental preparation is the key but you have to understand there are many factors to consider. Physical strength, flexibility and endurance are just some of the things that will make or break a climber," said Jeremy Flores, the Juniors Division head.

Filipino junior climbers have been doing well in international competitions. A Filipino junior placed third overall in last year’s Asian X Games and another Pinoy junior placed second in 2001.