DAVAO DEL NORTE—A record-breaker finally emerged in athletics—Central Luzon’s Martin James Esteban in secondary boys’ triple jump—and host Davao region broke into the gold-medal column following its sweep of the secondary boys and girls team tennis crowns in the 2015 Palarong Pambansa on Wednesday.
Esteban, near perfect for the event with his lanky 6-foot-1 frame, made the two compulsory but gigantic leaps before gliding to a new Palaro record of 15.01 meters on his fourth attempt to shatter the old 14.44-meter mark set by a former National Collegiate Athletic Association Most Valuable Player from Bicol, Harry Diones of champion team Jose Rizal University, in 2010 in San Jose, Tarlac.
“I always dream of becoming a national athlete, that is why I always train hard and do my best in every competition,” said Esteban, a 17-year-old senior at the Balitucan National High School in Magalang, Pampanga, in Tagalog.
Esteban also won gold last year in Santa Cruz, Laguna, but could not beat the games record with his 14.31-meter effort. He, however, did 5.09 meters in the Asean Schools Championships in Marikina last December, but settled for the silver behind a Malaysian.
Northern Mindanao’s Kirk Cire Bacas again settled for the silver medal behind Esteban with 14.26 meters, while Central Visayas’s John Marvin Rafols clinched bronze with 14.23 meters.
Only five records were broken so far halfway through the Palaro that ends on Saturday. On Monday four records fell in swimming with National Capital Region’s (NCR) Maurice Sacho Ilustre shattering the secondary boys’ 200-meter butterfly standard in the preliminaries and in the finals.
But the record-breakers, according to Palaro Results chief Deogracias Genito, look to becoming a scarcity in this 58th edition of the games as compared to 2014, when 20 records—11 in athletics and nine in swimming—were destroyed.
Davao region rejoiced on Wednesday when the secondary boys team of Jaffary Cariga, Elwin Centillas, Jomari Justin Guira and Christian Fel Lopez, and the girls squad of Shaira Hope Rivera, Rachel Patricia Velez, Dana Mariella Abad and Nicole Ann Bautista and coached by Marivic Salvador and Nenette Morales bagged the delegation’s first two gold medals in the games.
The girls’ team swept the eliminations and Mimaropa, 2-0, in the finals of the tennis competitions at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex (DDNSTC) courts to retain the gold medal, while the boys did the same in the preliminaries and also shut out Central Visayas in the battle for the gold medal to improve on its bronze from last year in Laguna to a gold medal.
“We are proud of our tennis players, they have been very consistent in the Palaro,” said Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario of host Davao del Norte. “And we are sure they would inspire our other athletes to do the same in the other fields.”
Southern Tagalog (Calabarzon) also broke into the gold-medal column with Kenneth Rafanan winning the boys’ secondary shotput (14.68 meter) and Gilbert Rutaquio the boys’ secondary steeplechase (9:50.00).
Winning a second gold medal also in athletics of the DavNor Palaro—supported by the Tagum Agricultural Development Co. Inc., Damosa Land, Davao Packaging Corp., Davao International Container Terminal Inc. and Pearl Farm Beach Resort; information on the games’ backers are exhibited at the Sponsors’ Village at the DDNSTC was—Western Visayas’s Matt Atanas.
Atanas annexed the boys’ elementary long-jump title with his 1.63-meter effort to the triple jump gold he won on Tuesday at the DDNSTC. Joining Atanas on the roster of gold winners for Western Visayas was Jamella de Asis, who topped the girls’ elementary shotput with 10.59 meters.
As of noon on Wednesday, the National Capital Region, which made waves both in the swimming and artistic gymnastics competitions, led the 17-region field with 21 gold, 21 silver and 12 bronze medals, followed by Southern Tagalog with a 15-9-15 gold-silver-bronze haul, Western Visayas (13-9-13), Cordillera Administrative Region (11-12-4) and Soccsksargen (6-13-10).
Image credits: Nonie Reyes