Salamat looks ahead to Asiad

CEBU CITY – With a spot in this year’s Asian Games in Indonesia already secured, Marella Salamat capped her dominant performance here with a third gold medal in the 9th Philippine National Games (PNG) cycling event yesterday in Barangay Taboc in Danao City.

The 24-year-old Salamat took the women’s crown in elite criterium after recording three sprint laps for a total of 20 points, while Avegail Rombaon of Iriga City settled for a silver medal with 11 points and Marianne Dacumos of Parañaque City took the bronze with four points.

A former Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist, Salamat also won in the road race (mass start) and individual time trial (ITT) in the sports meet organized by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) with the support of Smart and STI.

“For me, the ITT event wasn’t just a competition,” said Salamat. “It’s a major preparation for me for the Asian Games since this would be my event. Salamat 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, besting Florante Matan (631) and Luis Gabriel Moreno (627) in the men’s senior 72 arrows.

Baguio City’s Kareel Meer Hongitan stunned Youth Olympic Gamesbound 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 got the silver with 617 points.

In chess, IM Catherine Secopito of Bulacan downed WGM and IM candidate Janelle Frayna of Albay in the women’s standard chess at Robinson’s Galleria here.

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.