Caminong rips hepta national junior mark
ILAGAN CITY, Isabela— Evangelene Caminong of Dasmariñas City stole the thunder from the big guns with a recordbreaking performance in girls’ high jump in the Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships at the Ilagan Sports Complex here yesterday.
A perennial loser to Ateneo’s Alexei Mae Caimoso, Caminong, 17, leapt to 1.71 meters in the high jump event of heptathlon, eclipsing the national junior girls record of 1.69m set by Kaylene Mosquedo in the PATAFA Weekley Relays at the Ultra in Pasig City two years ago.
It was sweet revenge for the incoming National U Grade 12 student after losing to Caimoso in the girls’ individual high jump Friday and in the Palarong Pambansa in Vigan, Ilocos Sur last April.
“This is my way of making up for my losses to her (Caimoso) in the Palaro and in high jump yesterday (Friday),” said Caminong, who hails from San Vicente, Palawan, in Filipino.
But while she didn’t win a gold since the event was just one of the seven disciplines in heptathlon, Caminong managed to accomplish what has never been done in this five-day event – to break a national mark.
“This is the first record-breaker of this meet and the association got her (Caminong) attention,” said PATAFA secretary-general Renato Unso of the feat in the national event backed by Ayala Corp., Ilagan, Milo Nutri-up, Soleus, Soleus watches, Foton, Cherrylume and UCPB.
However, Caminong, who won the long jump gold hours earlier with a 5.23m leap, will need to finish in the other events to win another mint.
But whether she wins the event Army’s Rosie Villarito makes the winning throw in women’s javelin in the AyalaPhl Athletics Championships in Ilagan, Isabela. JOEY MENDOZA or not, Caminong has already grabbed the spotlight away from national team mainstays Mark Harry Diones, Mark Harry Mantua and Rosie Villarito, who bested all comers to rule their respective disciplines.
Diones, a silver medal winner in last year’s Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia representing RunRioUP team, registered 15.93 to rule the men’s triple jump while Mantua took his second gold in discus throw where he heaved 46.45m.
Villarito bucked a sore right knee to pocket the women’s javelin throw gold in 44.66m ahead of youthful Evalyn Palabrica of Phl team-City of Ilagan (43.98m) and Army’s Narcisa Atienza (43.80m).
The 38-year-old Army sergeant later admitted she would undergo a minor surgery to repair a cartilage on her ailing right knee next week.
“I was actually scheduled to undergo a minor operation but my doctor gave me permission to compete,” said Villarito, who is set to retire after the 2019 Manila SEAG.
Ateneo’s Henry Gonzales emerged the strongest man of the games after he ruled the men’s decathlon with 5464.00 points.
Aries Toledo, the reigning SEAG decathlon gold medalist, however, didn’t participate in the event and opted to compete in some of the individual events of the sport as part of his preparation for the Asian Games in Palembang and Jakarta, Indonesia this August.
Ateneo’s Mark Mathew Operario reigned supreme in boys’ decathlon with 5238.