Veruel Verdadero of Dasmarinas City (second from right) in action during the boys' 200-meter run. (Photo courtesy of PATAFA)
ILAGAN CITY, ISABELA -- Veruel Verdadero and Eliza Cuyom were named as the tournament's most bemedalled athletes in the 2018 Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships after leading Dasmariñas City to victory in the girls’ and boys’ 4x100 meters mixed relay event at the Ilagan Sports Complex here Sunday.
The team, which included Lord Angel Santos and Jessel Lumapas, clocked 46.55 seconds to beat the CSF Knights, composed of Mark Vincent Quiambao, Michaelangelo Batalona, Janice Patdu and Hazel Yumul, which registered 48.39 seconds.
Team Iskolar-Calamba City's John Ruffer Pablo, Jhon Paul Rabina, Abcd Agamanos and Erica Marie Ruto placed third with 49.24 seconds.
Verdadero and Cuyom have contributed four golds each to Dasmariñas City, which is leading the team standings with 10 golds, five silvers and one bronze.
Dasmariñas City's other two golds came from Lumapas (girls’ 200 meters) and Evangelene Caminong, who topped the girls’ long jump and set a new Philippine juniors record in the high jump event of the heptathlon on Saturday.
The 16-year-old Verdadero, who moved from Sultan Kudarat to Cavite two years ago, also ruled the boys’ 100-meter run, 200-meter run and the 4x400-meter mixed relay (with Edwin Giron Jr. and Deocampo siblings Charlaine and Charmaine) events.
Verdadero, a Grade 11 student from the Emilio Aguinaldo College-Dasmariñas, won the 100-meter event in the 2018 Palarong Pambansa in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, and the 2017 Palaro in San Jose, Antique.
Cuyom's other victories were in the 100-meter run, 100-meter hurdles and the 4x100 relay (with Lumapas, Pamela Joy Jaime and Elvievane Gobotia) events.
Meanwhile, Run Rio-UP Team pocketed three golds in the 400-meter hurdles to remain at second overall with nine golds, 14 silvers and nine bronzes.
Francis Medina clocked 52.21 seconds in the men's category beating De La Salle University's Michael Del Prado (54.25 seconds) and Jose Rizal University's Mark Tejamo (56.12 seconds).
Ferdinand Tridanio won the boys’ category in 54.93 seconds. De La Salle University's Jan Mell Gervacio, meanwhile, registered 56.06 seconds to win the silver while University of Perpetual Help System DALTA's Jerick Arzaga placed third in 57.32 seconds.
In the girls’ category, Riza Jane Dupalco picked up the gold medal in 1 minute and 04.15 seconds. Dasmariñas City's Charlaine Deocampo got the silver in 1:06.07 while University of Baguio's Kaizelle Vergara took the bronze in 1:10.15.
RP Team-City of Ilagan ranked third with eight gold medals, counting the victories of Anfernee Lopena in the men's 100-meter run event and Eloiza Luzon in the women's 100-meter run event.
Tuguegarao City's Laila Tuliao (girls’ hammer throw), Mapua University's James Lozanes (boys’ javelin throw), University of Perpetual Help System DALTA's Ernie Calipay (boys’ high jump), National University's Carl Arvyn Aquino (boys’ triple jump), Robyn Lauren Brown (women's 400 meters hurdles) and Adamson University's Ma. Lorenza Esguerra, Joanna Ebal, Elias Ruther Cuevas and Jeric Gaceta (men’s and women’s 4x100 meters mixed relay) were the other winners in the tournament organized by the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) and supported by MILO, LTime Studio, Soleus, Cocolife, UCPB Gen, Foton, Cherrylume, PSC, IAAF, Rebisco and F2 Logistics.
In the Masters division, the gold medalists in the men's 100-meter run event were UST's Junrey Bano (30-34 years old), Philippine Army's Leomar Mirasol (35-39 years old) and Rodrigo Tanuan Jr. (45-49 years old), Team Ilagan's Edward Kho (45-49 years old) and Ernesto Arcaina (60 years old and above), Sabah Malaysia Team's Diman Maulani (50-54 years old) and Soleus L-Timestudio Team's Julio Bayaban (55-59 years old).
The winners in the women's category were Nueva Vizcaya's Brenda Zinampan (40-44 years old), Soleus L-Timestudio Team's April Unso (60 years old and above) and Elma Muros-Posadas (50-54 years old) and unaffiliated Honeyjoy Salaysay (30-34 years old).
The other winners were Philippine Army's Ariel Opiana (30-34 years old) and Alonzo Jardin (40-44 years old), Soleus L-Timestudio Team's Arnel Lobos (55-59 years old) in the men's long jump; unaffiliated Lorna Pagsiat (55-59 years old) in the women's 5,000 meters walk; La Union's Shahani Basa (30-34 years old), Team Ilagan's Maricar Gammad (40-44 years old) and unaffiliated Ma. Carmencita Obmina-Muana (50-54 years old) in the women's 1,500 meters run.
In the 1.500 meters run event, the gold winners were Philippine Army's Rene Desuyo (30-34 years old) and Rodolfo Tacadino (55-59 years old), Dairuk Running Club's Apolonio Acadio (50-54 years old) and Noel Fabros (40-44 years old); Team Baguio City's Hernanie Sore (35-39 years old); and Penablanca's Mario Pagulayan (45-49 years old). (PNA)
