Marella Salamat best in criterium; Cebu jins dominate

CEBU CITY – Asian Games-bound Marella Salamat of Mandaluyong City collected her third cycling gold yesterday even as host Cebu City continued its golden run with a dominant campaign in taekwondo in the Philippine National Games here.

The 23-year-old Salamat, the 2015 Southeast Asian Games individual time trial gold medal winner, garnered 20 points to snare the criterium gold, beating Iriga City’s Avegail Rombaon and Parañaque’s Marianne Grace Dacumos, who registered 11 and nine points for silver and bronze, respectively.

Salamat topped her pet ITT event Tuesday then ruled the road race in Danao City the following day.

“I’m happy with my performance because this is a perfect training for me before the Asian Games,” said Salamat, who is eyeing to compete in one more race abroad before suiting up for the national team in the Asiad in Indonesia in August.

Rizal’s Archie Cardana, member of the Navy-Standard Insurance team that dominated the team event in the recent Ronda Pilipinas, took the men’s criterium mint by edging Pangasinan’s Dennis Gabaldon, 21-20.

Bataan’s Rudy Roque, Cardana’s Navy teammate, took the bronze with 16 points.

Other criterium winners were Nueva Ecija’s Jeremy Genesis Marana (U-23 girls), Pangasinan’s John Rey Buccat (U-17 boys) and Jinggo Tabayoyong (U-23 men’s) and Olongapo City’s Irish Mae Wong (U-23 women’s).

Cebu City added five golds to its growing collection to sustain its charge in team race with a 36 gold, 46 silver and 48 bronze medal haul heading to the final day of this weeklong event bankrolled the Philippine Sports Commission and backed by Smart and STI.

Aidaine Laxa spearheaded Cebu’s charge in taekwondo as she topped the individual junior women poomsae event. She toppled silver medalist Diana Supangan of Makati while Shaneen Paran and Ma. Therese Rose Toring of Cebu Province took the bronze.