Buenaventura, Lasangue bag gold in Hong Kong tracks

MANILA, Philippines - Manuel Lasangue and Riezel Buenaventura delivered the gold medal for the Philippines in the recent Hong Kong Inter-Cities Track and Field Championships.

The 22-year-old Lasangue won the gold in the decathlon with 6121 points while Buenaventura, 25, ruled the women’s pole vault at 3.75 meters.

Lasangue and Buenaventura are just two of the 24 athletes being funded by Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association chief Go Teng Kok.

These athletes, according to Go, are not among the elite ones being funded and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Starting this year, the PSC has stopped funding athletes in the developmental pool, with no monthly allowances and no board and lodging.

Go said he spends as much as P200,000 a month of his own money to fund the new batch of athletes, including their meals and board and lodging.

 “Some of them are staying in the houses of my coaches but I pay for their food and vitamins and some allowance,” said Go, who provides for the 24 athletes 10 sacks of rice a month, boxes of canned goods, 10 kilos of bananas every four days and vitamins.

Six veteran tracksters left for Japan yesterday for the 19th Asian Athletics Championships, also known as 3 As, scheduled July 7-10. They are Marestella Torres, Arniel Ferrera, Rene Herrera, Danilo Fresnido, Rosie Villarito and Narcisa Atienza.