LEMUEL P. MAGLINTE
Team Cebu City stayed firmly in control, now with 27 golds, 32 silvers and 19 bronzes after three days of action in the Philippine National Games (PNG) mainly at the Cebu City Sports Center. Some of its golds were hauled in gymnastics and rugby football events played in Manila last week.
In the latest medal standings released by the PNG secretariat, Baguio City is a faraway second with a 9-10-10 gold-silver-bronze medal tally followed by General Santos City (8-11-9), Zamboanga City (8-1-4), and Mandaluyong City (7-3-3).
Though still nursing from a collarbone injury, decorated Cebuano rider John Renee Mier pedaled his way to a golden finish in cycling’s individual time trial staged in Danao City.
Mier came home to Cebu with a heavy heart, not because of his injury but upon learning from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) that his name had been stricken off the list of the members of the national cycling team. It’s something he wasn’t informed of by any of the national coaches nor the PhilCycling officials.
But as soon as the PNG started, Mier made sure he will make an impact again. He won gold in the ITT, two days after helping his townmate Nino Surban bag the gilt in mountain bike’s cross-country event.
“My injury still hurts, but what hurts me more is the fact that I have been training for months for the national team, and no one bothered to tell me my real status with the team. I hope this gold will make an impact to them,” said Mier after wrapping up his third PNG gold.
Mier completed the 27-kilometer ITT with a time of 39 minutes and 24.09 seconds.
At the Cebu City Sports Center, Cebu City seized two more golds and silvers apiece with Razel Cabajar leading the charge.
Cabajar finally capped an individual gold through the 50m butterfly with a 32:48 clocking. She got another gold in the 400m medley relay together with Karen Mae Indaya, Justine Reign Garrido and Micah Marie Dela Cerna.
In athletics, Melody Perez saved Cebu City from a gold medal blackout by topping the women’s senior 1,500-meter run. Her teammate Geniecel Saballa got the silver after outsmarting double gold medallist Crystabel Martes.
Cebu City’s table tennis team also made valuable contribution with one gold, one silver and one bronze. The gold was produced by former national team member Glendo Nayre together with Val Stephen Jaca after they beat Talisay City’s Mark Gapol and Vicente Valera, 3-1, in the men’s doubles final.
OJ de los Santos also lived up to expectations, delivering Cebu City’s first gold in karatedo through the men’s senior kata.
In tennis, Cebu City is already assured of a gold and silver after brothers Marc Norman and Norman Joseph Enriquez set up a championship duel against each other. This is the first time in PNG history that siblings will be facing each other in a gold-medal match.
At the start of taekwondo competition at SM City Seaside, Cebu City scored a golden double behind the efforts of Charlotte Aquino in kyorugi (sparring) and Robiegayle Lee Navales in poomsae (forms).
Cebu Province, on the other hand, grabbed four gold medals courtesy of McAvyngur Alob in poomsae (forms) and Melody Jane Infante, Ellen Villacarlos and Mayn Coran in kyorugi (sparring).