10 golds at stake in athletics

Brunei - A total of 10 gold medals are up for grabs when the 10th BIMPNT-Eaga Friendship Games athletics competition unfurls at 4 p.m. at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Bandar Seri Begawan here today.

Davao City’s Dianna Mae Memoracion, a 20-year-old Emar Behavioral and Environmental College ICT freshman, will lead the cast for Mindanao-Philippines. She will try to bounce back from a silver finish in women’s 1,500-meter finals of the ninth edition of the 2016 Games held in Indonesia where she collected two silvers and one bronze.

“Happy kaayo ko nga kulba (I’m excited and nervous),” she told Sun.Star Davao. Though her knee still bothers her, she said that she will do her best to improve her medal haul from last time. Palarong Pambansa veteran and Batang Pinoy Midanao champion Reza Tuba is also entered in women’s 1,500m.

Also seeing action today are Bruce Pernia (men’s discus), Christine Jean Pongaron and Shara Diaz (women’s 100m), Darwin Tajora and Billy Molinos (men’s 100m), Joanna Marie Agudo and Angelica Villanueva (women’s 400m) and Nicko Caparoso and Norman Luardo (men’s 1,500m).

The women’s and women’s 4X100 meter relay will be played tonight.

Team Mindanao, meanwhile, will start action in wushu, athletics and taekwondo today.

Wushu assistant coach Melissa Pimentel said the athletes are ready and upbeat about their stint. “Forms lang po lahat sa wushu competition. Magagaling po ang mga bata natin,” she said at the Wafa Hotel and Apartment.

Taekwondo coach Hyoung Joo Kim, meanwhile, earlier projected about five to six golds from the team.