LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Eight records were broken in this year’s Palarong Pambansa hosted for the first time by Albay Province. Six of the new record are in athletics while the remaining two were posted in swimming.
Reigning 12-peat overall champion National Capital Region accounted for the two new records in swimming as well as one in athletics.
Maurice Sacho Ilustre led NCR’s record-breaking performance when he smashed an 11-year-old record of 58.13 seconds in the secondary boys 100-meter freestyle with his time of 54.15. The old record was posted by Kendrick Uy who also swam for NCR.
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Ilustre then anchored NCR’s 4x50 freestyle relay team to a record-busting 1:41.45, replacing the 1:43.51 record posted in 2014 by athletes of Calabarzon. Ilustre was joined in the team by Jexter Jansen Chua, Jerard Dominic Jacinto and Miguel Karlo Barlisan.
In athletics, Francis Edward Obiena reset the pole vault record of 4.05-m posted by Francisco Valdecanas in 2010 with his reach of 4.06-m. Valdecanas is also an NCR athlete.
Other records achieved in the secondary division in this year’s Palaro are in the secondary girls high jump where Cagayan Valley’s Cherry Mae Banatad replaced the Maureen Emily Schrijervs of NCR's 1.62-m record set in 2012 with her 1.66-m mark.
Schrijervs’ record of 26.7 seconds in the 200-m posted in 2008 was also reset by Negros Island Region’s Angel Ann Pranisa, who clocked in 26.15 seconds.
A new record was also posted by Davao Region’s Mia Meagey Niñura in the secondary girls 3,000-m with her time of 10:03.4 that erased the 10:10.6 of Jian Calis from Northern Mindanao. (READ: Record-breaking runner from Davao gets offers from UCLA, USC)
Another NCR record toppled was Jomar Udtohan’s 10.8 seconds in the boys secondary 100-m dash, which he set in 2014. Holding the new record now is Soccsksargen’s Peberoy Kasi who crossed the finish line with a time of 10.74.
Calabarzon’s Jerick Mendoza also posted a new record in the elementary boys javelin throw after he reached the distance of 57.50-m, shattering the 1998 record of 51.00-m set by Jonah Robles, also of Calabarzon. – Rappler.com