Ballester following father’s footsteps

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan, Philippines — A son of a former SEA Games marathon champion, a tanker from Cainta and a pair of underdogs came through with the worthiest performances in yesterday’s start of the Batang Pinoy National Finals at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex here.

James Brylle Ballester, representing Dasmariñas, Cavite, took the boys’ 800m gold medal in two minutes and 4.8 seconds in a performance that should make his father Allan Ballester, the SEAG marathon champion in 2003 in Vietnam, proud.

“My father is my inspiration,” said Ballester, who finished ahead of Victorias City’s Renzo Catulay (2:05:6) and General Santos’ Charlie Ong (2:06:6) in Filipino.

Aubrey Tom of Cainta, Rizal splashed her way to three gold medals with victories in the 200m individual medley, 100m freestyle and 50m backstroke for girls 12 years old and under where she clocked 2:32.30, 1:03.57 and 35.55, respectively.

Tom, 12, bolstered her bid to snare five golds as she is scheduled to compete in the 50m butterfly and 50m free in the coming days and a possible inclusion to the national squad seeing action in next year’s Children of Asia Games in Russia.

“I trained hard for this and I’m confident I can win more gold medals,” said Tom, a Grade Seven student at the International Learning Academy.

In centerpiece track and field, Marc Angelo Daroy of New Washington, Aklan and Don Gabriel Villa of Dasmariñas, Cavite came into the games as underdogs but ended up beating their more illustrious foes in their respective events.

Daroy, 14, completed a transformation from fifth in the regional qualifier in Iloilo City to the fastest boy here by ruling the boys’ 100m in 11.4 seconds ahead of fancied John Dave Magtangov of Pasig City and Justine Angelo Muñoz of Pangasinan, who took the silver and bronze in 11.6 and 11.7, respectively.

“I want to be someone when I grow older and help my family,” said Daroy, whose family relies on the meager income of his fisherman father, Anthony, to make ends meet.

Villa, 14, for his part, saved the best for last as he copped the gold in the boys’ discus throw where he heaved 39.65m, besting teammate Con Prince David (35.87m) and Maasin, Leyte’s Mark June Mercedes (34.60).

It was the best finish for Villa, a bronze medalist in the Luzon leg in Ilagan, Isabela.