Cancer survivor shines in Palaro gymnastics
STA. MARIA, ILOCOS SUR: Central Visayas bet Daniela Dela Pisa, a cancer survivor, dazzled the crowd at the Sta. Maria Municipal Gym here en route to emerging as the queen of rhythmic gymnastics (secondary apparatus) in the 2018 Palarong Pambansa.
Dela Pisa won the overall championship after bagging gold medals in rope (11.067 points), hoop (14.783) and ball (15.3) while grabbing silver in clubs (10.9667) for a total of 52.1167 points.
win the all-around gold medal. I trained everyday for this,” said the 14-year old third generation gymnast, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was only four years old.
Darlene, Dela Pisa’s mother and coach, narrated that the University of the Visayas-Cebu athlete’s disease is hereditary. According to Darlene, the incoming ninth grader was initially not allowed to play any sport but eventually shone in gymnastics through her unwavering persistence.
gymnast because with her disease, it would be
together with my athletes. The following year, I got her into the elementary lineup,” said the mothermentor, who was herself a former gymnast and belongs to a family of gymnasts.
“In her first competition, she already won a bronze. From then on, her winning continued,” she added.
Dela Pisa snagged three gold, two silver and a bronze last year in Antique but fell short in getting the overall title. Though she already participated
“I was amazed as her mom. I was not able to play in the Palaro,” she said.
The younger Dela Pisa dreams of joining the national team but she might not realize it.
“We really prepared this year because she might enter the national team and this could be her last Palaro. There is already an offer from the gymnastics association but it will still depend on us. We really take care of her,” said the mother-coach.
Over at the President Elpidio Quirino Stadium in Bantay, records in athletics continued to fall in the fourth day of actions.
Eliza Cuyom of Calabarzon broke the national juniors record anew as she clocked 14.50 second in the 100-meter hurdles secondary girls.
Cuyom eclipsed the record of 14.73 seconds she earlier set in the heats phase, wherein the 17-year old smashed the former mark of 15 seconds set by Julie Rose Forbes in the 2000 Philippine Open.
Another Calabarzon bet, Jessel Lumapas, won her second gold in record-breaking fashion as she won the 400-meter secondary girls.
Lumapas, whosnaredherfirstgoldinthe100-meter sprint, clocked 56.28 seconds to erase Jenny Rose Rosales’ 57.33 seconds in the 2011 Palaro.
Western Visayas’ Trixie Jane Willy ruled the 100-meter hurdles elementary girls as she posted 16.30 seconds, smashing the previous mark of 16.40 seconds set by Bicol Region’s Jessica Ampunan in 2010.
A shocker happened in the 400-meter secondary boys after Soccsksargen’s Kenneth Corpuz dethroned Calabarzon’s Veruel Verdadero.
Corpuz pocketed the gold in 49.36 seconds while Verdadero only got the bronze as he notched 49.95 seconds. Eastern Visayas Alhryan Jay Labita copped the silver in 49.88 seconds.
As of 4 p.m., Metro Manila bets were still leading in the medal count with a 38-30-16 goldsilver-bronze haul. Western Visayas is second with 29-20-32, Calabarzon third with 20-21-36 and CAR with 20-12-11.