By Waylon Galvez
CEBU CITY – Marella Salamat continued her hot streak, winning her third gold medal in the 9th Philippine National Games (PNG) cycling event yesterday at Barangay Taboc in Danao City.
The 24-year old Salamat took the women’s crown in elite criterium after she recorded three sprint laps for a total of 20 points, while Avegail Rombaon of Iriga City settled for a silver with 11 points and Marianne Dacumos of Paranaque City got the bronze with four points.
A former Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist, Salamat also reigned in the road race (mass start) and individual time trial (ITT) in this sports meet organized by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) with the support of Smart and STI.
“It’s a major preparation for me for the Asian Games since this would be my event,” added Salamat, who won the ITT in the SEA Games in 2015 in Singapore but lost in the finals of the 2017 meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In archery, Olympian Mark Javier of Dumaguete City won the gold medal as he tallied 638 points to stun Florante Matan (631) and Luis Gabriel Moreno (627) in the men’s senior 72 arrows.
Baguio City’s Kareel Meer Hongitan stunned Youth Olympic Games-bound Nicole Marie Tagle of Dumaguete City in the recurve women’s senior 72 arrows. Hongitan collected 628 points to win the gold medal while Tagle settled with the silver after she collected 617 points.
In chess, international master Catherine Secopito of Bulacan downed women grandmaster and international master candidate Janelle Frayna of Albay in the women’s standard chess at Robinson’s Galleria.
Secopito tied women FIDE master Michelle Yaon of Calamba City in the seventh and final round to register a total of six points with five wins and two draws for the first gold medal of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
In men’s chess, Grandmaster John Paul Gomez of Albay took the gold medal after besting International Master Paulo Bersamina of Tandag City in the sixth round with a come from behind win.
