FEU gymnast nails PNG gold

MANILA, Philippines - Jean Caluscusin unleashed a superb all-around performance as she upstaged the favorites to bag the gold in the senior individual all-around event of rhythmic gymnastics in the Philippine National Games yesterday.

Caluscusin, 20, garnered an impressive 35.925 points with the Far Eastern U cheering squad standout dishing out her best effort in the ribbon and ball events with scores of 9.350 and 8.650.

She wound up second in clubs with 9.300 and ended up third in hoop with 8.625 to snare her first gold medal after a pair of silver medal finishes in last year’s PNG and Palarong Pambansa.

“It was a surprise for me to win but I’m glad I did,” said Caluscusin in Filipino.

She beat a heavily favored Anica Joy Sirios, a national team standout and last year’s runaway gold medal winner in Dumaguete City, who settled for silver with 34.750 points.

Cebu City bet Carmeli Garrovillo, another member of the Phl squad like Caluscusin and Sirios, took the bronze with 34.425.

Caluscusin achieved the feat despite some minor, last-minute changes in her routines.

“We made some changes in our routines a few days before the event but I didn’t get nervous,” she said.

Mikhaela Silverio, for her part, topped the individual all-around event of rhythmic gymnastics in the juniors’ side where she amassed 36.600, way ahead of silver and bronze medalists Kimberly Paler and Aj Melgar of Cebu with 31.125 and 29.925 points, respectively.

The annual meet, which gathers the best elite and amateur athletes in the country today and serves as one of the qualifiers for spots in the national team, will officially start tomorrow in various venues with athletics set at the Philsports Track Oval and medal-rich swimming at the Rizal Swimming Center.

The event is sponsored by Ayala Corp., Summit  Mineral Water, Bala Energy Drink, STI, Splash Islands, Enchanted Kingdom, LBC, 7-Eleven, Milo, Procter and Gamble, Peak/Kix, Tea Monkey, Standard Insurance, Delos Santos Medical Center, Spin.ph, Everlast, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Employees Association, Palm Plaza Hotel, Orchid Garden Suites and Puregold.