THE returnees from Negros division made sure they had an impact and lifted the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (Cviraa) on the second day of competition of the 61st Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Sur.
Cviraa once more tapped into the deep talent pool of Negros after the dissolution of the Negros Island Region (NIR). This proved beneficial for Region 7, which got its third and fourth gold medals from Dumaguete archer Phoebe Nicole Amistoso.
Amistoso, a Grade 11 student from Siliman University, won the girls’ 40-meter and 30-meter categories both in record-breaking fashion in the Municipality of San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur yesterday.
Meanwhile, Bayawan National High School’s Jonjie Enyong, who is a first-timer in the Palaro, won over Region 5’s John Mark Loria for the title in the secondary boys wrestling. Enyong is 14.
Amistoso from Sibulan, Negros Oriental scored 339 in the girls’ 30m to shatter the 334 record of Ma. Fermi Gleam Bajado set in the 2017 Palarong Pambansa in Antique.
Ma. Karylle Pangilinan of Region III scored 336 for silver and Charmaine Angela Villamor of Cordillera had 333 for bronze.
Amistoso was also superb in the 40m as she reset the record to 326, erasing the 318 record set by Villamor in Antique. Julie An Malinog of Caraga settled for silver with 324 and Zetha Elea Mae Cataluna got the bronze medal.
This was Amistoso’s first gold medal in the Palarong Pambansa following a silver medal finish in the team event at the 2016 edition in Legazpi, Albay. She was the first double-gold medalist for Region 7 this year.
“I never expected to win this. My expectation was to only beat my personal best,’ said Amistoso, who will have the chance to pad her medal haul with the 50m and 60m categories today.
Amistoso said that their transfer to Region 7 pushed them to be better as they face perennial opponents in the Cviraa qualifying meet in Bohol about two months ago.
“In the qualifiers we faced strong archers from Cebu City, Cebu Province, Lapu-Lapu, among others. Unlike when we were in the NIR we don’t have many competitors. It was a better test for us before Palarong Pambansa” she said.
Carlson Hastie chipped in silver medal in the boys’ secondary 50m to push the overall medal tally of Region 7 to four gold medals, four silvers and four bronzes. The medals from Region 7 came from chess, archery, arnis and lawn tennis.
Amistosos’ coach, Crisaldo Merto, said that they’re happy with the win despite the fact that they did not get financial support from the Dumaguete City division.
“There was no support from our division but we are thankful that the Region 7 (regional division) gave financial support to all the athletes,” said Merto, a former national team archery coach.
The Region 7 division gives P1,500 cash allowance to every athlete of Cviraa.
In the other games, the Cviraa boys’ lawn tennis squad with players Francis Gener Lambayan, Don Vinz Lominuque, Ibarra Ortega Jr. and Guillian Antonio Bandoquillo bagged silver medal in the secondary boys’ team event.
The lawn tennis girls’ team, composed of Princess Nicole Dela Rita, Suzel Faith Callao, Zethley Mae Aleferez and Elizabeth Abarquez chipped in bronze medal in the girls’ secondary team event at the Sta. Catalina Tennis Court.
Arnisador Kurt Imbert Limbaga scored 28.40 and won bronze medal in the boys’ elementary individual anyo single weapon at the San Vicente Sports Complex in Ilocos Sur.
The Region 7 futsal team scored a double win in the elimination games yesterday at the Santa Maria Municipal with a 3-0 win over NCR. (RSC)