ILOILO City – Three Western Visayas-based track and field players delivered gold medals at the start of the National Invitational Sports Competition Athletics on Sunday at the Iloilo Sports Complex here.
Airex Gabriel Villanueva, a native of Bacolod City, captured the gold medal in boys shot put with his 14.76 meters to beat Nicko Atas of Region 4A and Chino Balmores of NCR.
Ilongga Rhealyn De Costa, a standout of Balasan National High School, also earned the right to represent the country in the ASEAN School Games after notching q gold in girls shot put.
PJ Paloma of Aklan, on the other hand, delivered the third gold for Western Visayas. He ruled the boys high jump with 1.83 meters. Region 4A’s Joshua Caocbay and Prince Philip Canja ended with silver and bronze.
Bacolod Tay Tung High School’s Jade Paulite Cordova and Shaltea Delotavo fell short of qualifying in the ASG after settling for silver and bronze in their events.
Cordova ended up with a silver medal in girls’ 100 meter hurdles with her 17.19 seconds, just behind the gold medal winner Evita Ruth Belloso of Region 4A, who had 16.94 seconds.
Delotavo, on the other hand, ended at third place in the 200 meters girls witg her 28.38 seconds, behind Region 4A’s Jamica Santiago (27.50 seconds) and Region 5’s Leonilyn Compuesto (27.87 seconds).
Western Visayas’ Edna Magtubo finished with silver medal in the girls’ 3000 meter run, while Mico Villaran ended up with also a silver medals in the boys’ 110 meter hurdles.
Jan Reynald Ote of Aklan, on the other hand, captured a silver medal in the boys javelin throw event, while Avegail Biliran of Granada National High School notched a bronze in the distaff side.
The gold medal winners in the two-day NISC athletics tournament are set to represent the Philippines in the 2022 ASEAN School Games slated later this year in Dumaguete City./PN
