Catalan poised for golden double

MANILA, Philippines - Veteran Alfie Catalan positioned himself for a possible double-gold feat as he made the finals of the individual and team pursuit events yesterday in the National Open Cycling Championships at the Amoranto Velodrome.

Shaking off rust from lack of competitions lately, the two-time Southeast Asian Games champion Catalan clocked 5:33.10 in the 4,000-meter race to beat fellow seasoned rider Arnel Quirimit (5:45.32) for a slot in the gold medal race set tomorrow.

Catalan will go up against Alvin Benosa (5:37.91), who bested Reynaldo Navarro (5:37.97) in the other semifinal race-off.

Navarro and Quirimit will dispute the bronze medal also tomorrow.

“I didn’t have sufficient practice lately,” the San Manuel, Pangasinan rider, whose clocking was off the 4:48.230 he logged in winning his second SEAG individual pursuit title in 2007 in Thailand, said in Filipino.

The 28-year-old Catalan earlier joined Warren Davadilla and Emelito Altilano in racing to the team pursuit finale with a qualifying time of 5:26.35.

The Armymen will contest the gold with the Roosevelt crew of Arnold Mendoza, Benosa, Navarro and Paulo Manapul, who submitted a faster record of 5:16.77.

The third and last squad in the race, Taguig’s Arnel de Jesus, Joel Balucos, Virgilio Quintia and Jonjon Quirimit, took the bronze medal with their 5:27.61 clocking.

Meanwhile, former duathlete Kaye Lopez, riding a “technical race” on an Argon bike borrowed from a friend, easily made the championship round of the women’s 3,000-meter individual pursuit with her 4:57.28.

Lopez, now a multi-sport coach, will face Anna Marie Remigio, who came in at 5:01.30, besting Marita Lucas (5:03.30), for the second final berth.