Minda runner takes Li’l Olympics by storm

CEBU, Philippines - – A long distance runner from Mindanao and a lifter from Bohol stole the show from the fancied Big City bets at the start of the fifth National Milo Little Olympics at the Cebu City Sports Center here yesterday.

Kevin Capangpangan, a 16-year-old senior at Iligan National High School, ruled the 5,000-meter run in 16 minutes, 26.09 seconds ahead of Luzon’s Raymark Quejada and Marcelino Guleng at the break of dawn.

In his fourth Milo Olympics, Capangpangan was heartbreak kid no more in the event.

“I won a silver in the 5,000m last year in Marikina but I was disqualified because I accidentally stepped on a prohibited line,” said Capangpangan.

“I’m just happy and relieved to finally win my first gold in the National Finals after several failed attempts,” he added.

Capangpangan, who later placed second behind National Capital Region’s Gilbert Rutaquio, said he’s hoping to get athletic scholarships from big schools in the NCR.

“I want to be a civil engineer just like my uncle (James) or perhaps a teacher if I get the chance,” said Capangpangan, now being considered for recruitment by University of Santo Tomas, Emilio Aguinaldo and La Salle-Dasmariñas.

The day also belonged to Rensel Rosales, who captured the shot-put gold with a heave of 9.22m despite coming into this meet with his hometowns Tagbiliran and Talibon in Bohol devastated by the 7.2 magnitude quake that slammed parts of Central Visayas including host Cebu.

“Our house in Talibon was destroyed by the quake so we had to live in Tagbiliran,” said the 15-year-old Rosales.

Rosales, who bested eventual silver and bronze medalists Mindanao’s Kimberly Dangli and NCR’s Jane Marie Cabarga, said she relied on pure will power in the absence of proper training going into the event.

“The oval I was training back home was used as a landing site for helicopters rescuing victims of the earthquake so I really didn’t have the chance to train that much,” said Rosales referring to the Carlos P. Garcia Cultural and Sports Center in Tagbiliran.

Like Rosales, Capangpangan, raised by his single mom Julieta, didn’t let adversity stand on the way.

“I just think of succeeding someday so that I can help my mom and sister (Kathlyn),” said Capangpangan, who topped a 10K run of the Milo Marathon regional event in Cagayan de Oro last September.

War also didn’t stop Mindanao’s secondary basketball team in participating here, stunning the NCR’s Rochepol Jane Academy in a gripping 98-94 win.

Their efforts overshadowed the double-gold performances of the NCR’s Judy Ann Rendora in centerpiece athletics and Catherine Bondad in medal-rich swimming.

Rendora, representing Dasmariñas National High School, triumphed in the 100m in 12.50 seconds and 100m hurdles in 15.26, while Bondad, a Palarong Pambansa multiple gold medalist representing San Beda-Alabang, splashed her way to victories in the 400m freestyle in 4:50.28 and 100m backstroke in 1:10.78.

Visayas’ elementary basketball team, University of San Carlos, made the host city proud after thrashing Stella Maris of the NCR, 69-21, at the New Cebu City Coliseum.

Corpus Christi of Cagayan de Oro also pulled off a big win, overwhelming Berkeley School of Baguio, 63-19.

In football, Visayas whitewashed Luzon, 14-0, and Mindanao edged NCR, 3-2.