BY CYRUS M. GARDE
STA. CRUZ, Laguna – Western Visayas added three more gold medals in athletics to stay on top in the medal tally with four, even as the secondary boys’ javelin throw was thrown into turmoil in the ongoing 2014 Palarong Pambansa at the Laguna Sports Complex in Brgy. Bubukal here.
Mary Anthony Diesto, 17, and graduate of Negros Occidental High School, booked her first gold medal in secondary girls’ long jump. She registered 5.39 meters in her sixth jump.
She is set to compete in triple jump that she ruled in the Dumaguete City edition of the Palaro last year (11.61 meters) and in the 100-meter run.
Angel Carino of host Region IV-A settled for silver with a 5.21-meter jump.
Jessa Mayor of Cagayan Valley, last year’s gold medal winner, jumped 5.11 meters for the bronze.
John Paul Plomeda, 13, and graduate of Calumangan Elementary School in Bago City, Negros Occidental, added another gold medal to Region 6 (elementary boys’ discus throw).
The son of a kickboxing player heaved the iron plate to a distance of 28.83 meters in his third try and improved his regional record of 24.14 meters.
Teammate Archie Saravia of Aklan settled for silver (26.56 meters) while Jobert Bartolome of MIMAROPA took the bronze at 26.00 meters.
Sonny Boy Talataña of the National Capitol region is the Palaro record holder (3.12 meters set in the 2005 Palaro in Iloilo City).
Estelle Jeane Bernales of Dingle, Iloilo also contributed gold by winning the elementary girl’s triple jump in 10.59 meters.
The 13-year-old graduate of Dingle Elementary School, however, failed to erase the Palaro record established by teammate Allysa Marie Andrade of Aklan (10.80 meters set in Tarlac in 2010).
Annaly Sinconiegue of Northern Mindanao who leaped 10.44 meters settled for silver.
The 12-year-old Meycee Magdangal of Escalante Elementary School in Escalante City, Negros Occidental took the bronze at 10.06 meters.
Jose Jerry Belibestre, 16, of Romanito Maravilla National High School in Bacolod City won the first gold medal for Region 6 on Sunday (secondary boys’ long jump in 7.08 meters)./PN
