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[av_heading heading=’Bacolodnon jumper shatters record to bag gold in PH Open’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Saturday, April 1, 2017
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Jose Jerry Belibestre of Bacolod City mounts a long jump attempt during the 2017 Ayala Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championships on Friday at the Ilagan Sports Complex in Isabela. AYALA PH OPEN
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ISABELA – Jose Jerry Belibestre stole the thunder from his veteran foes as he shattered an 18-year-old record in the 2017 Ayala Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championships on Friday at the Ilagan Sports Complex.
The Bacolod City, Negros Occidental-native Belibestre ruled the boys’ long jump event in dominant fashion to join the elite list of record holders in this prestigious annual tourney.
Belibestre, a third-year BS Education student at the University Negros Occidental-Recoletos, posted 7.43 meters to capture the gold medal and destroy the 7.41-meter record tallied by Joebert Delicano in the Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia in 1999.
Belibestre, the eldest of the four children of a bicycle shop owner, said that his record-breaking 7.43 meters was his second best as he posted a personal record of 7.53 meters in a competition in Bacolod City.
“Lahat ng talon ko mga more than seven meters,” Belibestre told Panay News. “Alam ko kakayanin ko dahil pinaghandaan ko ng husto itong tournament na ito. Hindi lang gold medal ang habol ko, gusto ko rin makabasag ng records.”
However, Belibestre will not be joining the national team as his head coach Miguel Arca said that the Bacolodnon jumper is more comfortable training in the province rather than training in Manila under the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association.
“It‘s the chemistry of the athlete and the coach that makes it work (in the province),” said Arca, a noted Visayas-based mentor from Romanito Maravilla National High School in Bacolod City.
Aside from Belibestre, another Western Visayas-based athlete in Ilonggo Christian Dave Geraldino of Mapua Institute of Technology captured a gold medal in the four-day sporting event.
The Tigbauan, Iloilo-native Geraldino won the gold medal in the boy’s high jump event with his 1.89 meters beating Singapore’s Ryan Teo and Gilbert Codera of San Beda (1.80).
With his gold medal feat, Geraldino, who was part of the Cardinals team that finish runner-up in NCAA Season 92 athletics, can earn a chance to represent the country to the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia./PN
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