By Jerome Lagunzad
ILAGAN CITY – Promising jumper Evangelene Caminong put on a show on Saturday morning as she shattered a two-year old national juniors record in girls’ high jump while clinching the long jump title in the 2018 Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships at the City of Ilagan Sports Complex here.
Just a few hours after ruling the girls’ long jump with a leap of 5.23 meters, Caminong, 17, boosted her bid for the girls’ heptathlon title by registering an impressive mark of 1.71m in high jump, breaking the previous best of 1.69m set by Kaylene Mosqueda in the PSC-Patafa Weekly Relay last October, 2016.
The new record more than made up for Caminong’s failed bid in the individual girls’ high jump event which was ruled by familiar rival Alexie Mae Caimoso of Ateneo who posted 1.65m performance last Friday.
“At least, I was able to redeem myself after losing to her (Caimoso) back in the Palarong Pambansa (last April) and in our recent individual event battle,” said Caminong, the second in the brood of four from San Vicente, Palawan.
The record-breaking performance of Caminong, who’s bound to receive a minimum cash incentive of P20,000 from Patafa chief Dr. Philip Ella Juico, provided a breath of fresh air in Day 3 annual meet presented by the City of Ilagan as notable national team members started to assert their might in several fronts.
Mark Harry Diones, the silver medalist in last year’s Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, clinched the men’s triple jump title with a 15.93m leap while John Albert Mantua bagged his second gold medal by topping the men’s discus throw with a heave of 46.45m.
Meanwhile, two-time Olympian Marestella Torres-Sunang underlined her billing as the country’s undisputed long jump queen with a leap of 6.16m, much to the delight of a sizeableFriday afternoon crowd.
Not to be outdone were national team coaches, Arniel Ferrera and Rosie Villarito, with the former claiming the men’s hammer throw crown with a heave of 52.84m and the latter topping the women’s javelin throw with 44.66m mark.
University of the Philippines’ Lambert Padua also had his winning moment in the annual meet sponsored by Ayala Corporation, Milo and the Philippine Sports Commission after he outlasted Adamson rival Rovel Panes in a thrilling finish for the men’s 20,000m walk title.
