Palarong Pambansa: NCR off to great start as Calabarzon makes mark

MANILA, Philippines – Defending champion National Capital Region delivered the worthiest performance of the day after a pair of record-breaking feats at the pool, even as Calabarzon struck the first blow in its quest to unseat the Big City bets in the Palarong Pambansa in Marikina City Tuesday.

Krystal Ava David clocked one minute and 17.98 seconds at the Marikina Sports Center pool to eclipse the elementary girls breaststroke record of 1:19.35 set by NCR’s Raissa Gavino in Vigan, Ilocos Sur five years ago.

Then, the secondary boys 200m medley relay team of Ivo Nikolai Enot, Jalil Sephraim Taguinod, Ivan Nicolas Radovan and Hugh Antonio Parto followed it up with another record-setting feat with a clocking of 1:49.47.

It erased the five-year mark of 1:51.18 also registered by NCR in Vigan.

Also delivering a gold in the pool was Clara Yzabela delos Santos in the secondary girls 100m breaststroke, where she timed in 1:16.63.

Chess also delivered for NCR as Lexie Grace Hernandez took the secondary girls individual blitz gold after scoring a perfect seven points as well as the team mint with April Joy Claros by combining for 11 points over at the Marikina Hotel and Convention Center.

Claros, an East Asia Youth titlist in Bangkok, Thailand last year, took the silver in the individual blitz with six points.

“Masaya po at nanalo kami,” Claros, a soft-spoken Angeles, Pampanga native, told The STAR.

But Calabarzon unleashed a six-gold rampage — three at the pool, two in centerpiece athletics and one in chess — which should threaten NCR’s overall title-retention bid.

Mark Jay Bacojo took the secondary boys individual blitz gold by finishing with 6.5 points out of the possible seven, while Joshua Patorara and Loraine Audrey Battala accounted for Calabarzon’s pair of triumphs at the rain-drenched Marikina Sports Center track.

Patorara ruled secondary boys long jump with a 6.57m, while Battala reigned supreme in the secondary girls 3000m in 10 minutes and 49.7 seconds.

Calabarzon is hoping to end dynastic reign of NCR, which topped the last edition of the annual multi-sports meet four years ago in Davao City with an 86-gold, 71-silver and 56-bronze harvest.

It was the 15th straight overall championship by the Big City after the point system and medal tally formats in determining the general titlist took turns starting in 2005 in Iloilo.

Davao Region also made a big dent in swimming after raking in four golden swims in Day One of the four-day pool competition.

Its gold medals were delivered by Paolo Miguel Lebanon (secondary boys 400m freestyle), Archibald Nicolas Lonzaga in the elementary boys 100m backstroke), Francis Greg Espiritu (secondary boys 100m breaststroke) and Liaa Margarette Amoguis (secondary girls individual medley).