Guarte cops 2nd gold in record run

MANILA, Philippines - Mervin Guarte added the steeplechase gold to his 800m run victory in another record fashion as San Sebastian took control in Day 2 of the centerpiece athletics event in the 85th NCAA track and field championships at the Rizal Memorial track oval yesterday.

Guarte, 17, turned in a 9:33.22 clocking to snare the 3,000-m steeplechase gold, shattering the three-year-old mark of 10:06.60 set by Mapua Jerome Berredo.

The win came after Guarte reset the mark in the 800m from 1:58.00, set by San Sebastian’s Jay-R Rivera three seasons ago, to 1:53.4 last Monday.

“I’ve been training hard for this for a year now, maybe my hard work is paying off,” said Guarte, a first year Hotel and Restaurant Management student, in Filipino.

It was the Stags’ third gold in the seniors’ division after unheralded Rolando de Ramos Jr. came from behind to stun neophyte but fancied Isidro del Prado Jr. of St. Benilde in the 100m in 11.17. Del Prado clocked 11:20.

Letran’s Archand Christian Bagsit took the bronze in 11:31 in the event.

San Sebastian’s high school team also won a couple of gold medals, including one by Fernando Corpuz in the 800m where he clocked 2:02.82 to eclipse the two-year record of 2:93.41 set by del Prado.

CSB-La Salle Greenhills’ Jasper Tanhueco joined the elite record-breaking group as he reset the 11.67 junior record in the 100m by Daryl Ceballos of San Sebastian with an 11:19 clocking, way ahead of San Sebastian’s John Willie Jules (11.79) and teammate Benjamin Cruz (11:81).

In high school action, Letran high school basketball standout Glenn Khobuntin overpowered the field by topping shot put with a heave of 12.06m.

San Sebastian’s Ivan Marc Mercado and Val Christian Capacia finished second and third in 10.81m and 10.20m, respectively.       – Joey Villar