ELYZZA Mae Salinas and Jhuvan Jehn Baculot have been regulars in the Cebu City Olympics for more than five years. The two tracksters for University of Cebu (UC) mirror the journey of athletes who started as beginners and went out as gold medalists.
Baculot, 17, started doing athletics when she was a fourth grader at the then Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT). She started racking up medals in the sixth grade and continued her winning ways in the secondary level for UC.
For Salinas, 17, who comes from a family of athletes, it was in sixth grade at the San Nicolas Elementary School when she took up athletics. She then joined UC in the secondary level.
The two athletes made sure they will have a good exit in the 27th Cebu City Olympics as they gave UC its first two gold medals on Day 1 of the track and field competition at the Cebu City Sports Center yesterday.
Salinas won the gold medal in the girls’ secondary 100-meter hurdle and bagged silver in the 400m hurdle, while Baculot snagged the gold medal in the girls’ secondary high jump.
Baculot shared that athletics has been her source of strength and inspiration over the years, and this sport made her strong in dealing not only with competitions but also life in general.
“I’m staying in my grandparents’, they raised me since I was young. I haven’t seen my mother, my father is here but he has another family,” said Baculot, who added that her grandparents keep her motivated in life.
Both Baculot and Salinas are senior high students taking up TechVoc-Travel Services.
“When I started in athletics, it boosted my self-confidence. I met a lot of people and made a lot of friends. It has taught us discipline, to be responsible and also time management,” said Salinas, who took up athletics just like her brother, Earl, who played for St. Benilde in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
“My father played varsity basketball and my mother was also in volleyball so they’re familiar with sports. They have been very supportive of me,” she said.
Salinas will still compete in the girls’ secondary 4x100m relay and 4x400m events, while Baculot still has long jump and triple jump events ahead.
“We’re making the most of this experience because we know we’re going to miss it. There will be competitions when we get to college but our experience in the elementary and secondary sporting meet is different,” said Baculot.
The Cebu City Olympics is a step for the athletes from Cebu City. Winners in the Cebu City Olympics are tapped to represent the city in the Central Visayas Region Athletic Association (Cviraa), which is the qualifier for the Palarong Pambansa.
Salinas and Baculot, frequent participants in the Palarong Pambansa, are hoping to be in the national sporting meet again. But the goal to get to Cviraa is still in peril after reports that Cebu City might not send delegates to Cviraa and Palarong Pambansa.
“We hope things will get fixed because on the part of us athletes, we really trained hard for Cviraa and Palarong Pambansa,” said Baculot.
The University of San Carlos Basic Education (USC-Bed) hauled eight gold medals on the first day of track and field.
Accounting for the gold medals in the secondary level were Mary Joy Loberanis (girls’ 1,500m), Sheina Kate Responso (girls’ 400m hurdle), Stephen Pekitpekit (boys’ high jump), Rafael Troy Lugay (boys’ 1,500m) Joseph Berdin (boys’ shotput).
The gold medalist for elementary level for USC-Bed or Unit 5 were Johana Berdin (girls’ shotput), Lorence Yvory Garcia (girl’s 1,500m) and John Elle Silva (boys’s high jump).
In the unofficial and partial medal standing, the defending champion UC currently leads with a total of 23 gold medals, nine silvers and nine bronzes in the secondary division. USC-Bed is in second place with a 14-14-7 medal haul. (RSC)