Francine Coyoca of Central Visayas performs her routine in the balance beam of Women’s Artistic Gymnastics in the ongoing Palarong Pambansa. CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO
Cviraa drops to 3rd after meager harvest yesterday
San Jose, Antique — The Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (Cviraa) couldn’t pick up from where it left off last Sunday as it failed to win a single gold yesterday in the 60th Palarong Pambansa at the Evelio B. Javier (EBJ) Sports Complex here.
Cviraa instead settled for a meager harvest of one silver and a bronze after collecting three golds and a silver last Sunday.
Despite the sub-par performance, Cviraa stayed at third place in the early rankings.
Many-time defending champion National Capital Region has started pulling away with a 14-11-6 tally.
Negros Island Region is at second place with four golds, one silver and one bronze, Saving Cviraa from a medal shutout yesterday were arnisadors Bryze Danielle Manaytay and Thaniel Jan Sapio.
Manaytay bagged the silver in the arnis elementary girls Anyo event, while Sapio ended up with a bronze in the boys competition.
Region 7 will come into today’s competition with three golds, a silver and three bronzes.
Accounting for Cviraa’s three golds was gymnast Danielle Dela Pisa.
Dela Pisa got the golds from the rope, hoop and ball events of the secondary rhythmic gymnastics (RG). She also contributed a bronze medal in the club event.
The Region 7 gymnasts failed to win a single medal in yesterday’s men’s and women’s artistic gymntastics team and will try to bounce back in the individual events today.
Tracksters falter
To make matters worse, Cviraa struggled at the tracks as its athletes faltered in the final events of the 3,000-meter run, javelin throw, long jump and high jump.
Cviraa’s top trackster Samantha Gem Limos will have a chance to end the drought as she qualified in the final of today’s secondary girls 100-meter dash.
Billiards delivers
In billiards, Cviraa bolstered its chance of winning medals after Carlo Digal and Jemel Doblas advanced to the third round of the boys eight-ball competition as well as the girls eight-ball pair of Judith Capasilan and Jean Noval.
While Cviraa had a slow day yesterday, host team Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) celebrated the record-breaking feat of James Lozañes in the secondary boys javelin throw.
The feat was made sweeter as it was the 17-year-old’s very first Palaro.
“As a first-timer in the Palaro, it makes me very happy to have achieved this,” said Lozañes, who heaved the spear to 59.46 meters in his third attempt which eclipsed the 57.81m mark of Bryan Jay Pacheco of Central Luzon in the 2013 Palaro in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
It was actually 1-2 finish for the hosts as Lozañes’ teammate, Ronald Lacson won silver in 57.30m. Manny Maquiling of Northern Mindanao bagged the bronze with a throw of 54.66 meters.
Lozañes will also compete in the discus throw.