Khalil Sanchez (center) with his runners up in the junior men’s 17-18 years old category of the Race Against Drugs & Bike to Stay Healthy Against Covid mountain bike race held in Danao City, northern Cebu. | Photo from Khalil Sanchez
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Khalil Sanchez clinched another title by winning in Stage 2 of the Race Against Drugs and Bike to Stay Healthy Against Covid mountain bike race held last Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Barangay Sandayong Sur, Danao City, northern Cebu.
The 17-year old Sanchez clinched his 44th first-place finish since 2021 after ruling the junior men’s 17-18 years old category of the race.
The Cebuano mountain bike phenom topped the division after clocking 44 minutes. He edged eventual second placer Guian Carl Perez, who finished with a time of 44:43, and Mark Arcilla, who claimed third spot with a time of 45:30.
Even if he has piled up numerous titles amid the pandemic, Sanchez, who suits up for the vaunted Keith DeFiebre Cycling Team p/b Lún Wheels, said he is not planning to slow down. In fact, he is vying in the upcoming “Tining Martinez Grand MTB Cross Country Race,” in Bogo City, Cebu on Saturday, April 9.
READ: On the right track: Promising cyclist Khalil Sanchez piles up titles amid pandemic
Meanwhile, Jericho Rivera and Nicole Quiñones topped the men’s and women’s elite divisions of the mountain bike race, respectively.
Rivera finished with a time of 41:05. EJ Flores trailed him in second place with a time of 41:40 while Marl Lowell Valderrama placed third, clocking 43:18.
In the distaff side, Quiñones clocked in at 33:03, beating Pia Sendrijas (34:33) and Alianah Therese Velasco (37:29), who finished second and third, respectively.
The race last Sunday saw more than a hundred riders from all around Cebu converging at the Barangay Sandayong Sur in Danao City to compete in various categories of the race organized by the Danao City Sports Commission headed by its chief, Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez.
Other winning riders of the race are Axel Shane Basaka (newbie men’s), Alexa Kate Nombrado (newbie women’s), Samstill Mamites (youth boys 15-16), Niño Jhay Benedict Gungob (youth boys 13-14), Aliana Therese Velasco (youth girls 13-16), Liecah Payda (junior women’s 17-18), Celestino Eguinto (60-above), Christopher Marson (50-59), Jessie Sicard Sanchez (40-49), Nicho Lumay (30-39), and Matthew Symon Quiñones (19-21).
/bmjo
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