By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Negros Occidental delivered five gold medals to kick off their campaign in the 2023 Western Visayas Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet athletics at the Aklan Sports Complex in Aklan province’s Makato town yesterday.
Bianca Juliana Seroy of Bacolod Tay Tung High School athletics team spearheaded the gold haul for Team Negros Occidental after ruling the secondary girls’ triple jump with her 11.03-meter leap.
Marianne Faith Pedales and Shaira May Nepomuceno had a gold and bronze medal finish in the elementary girls’ shot put event on Thursday, April 27, before Pedales got her second gold in the discus throw event yesterday.
Mico Villaran and Airex Gabriel Villanueva of the Romanito Maravilla National High School also delivered a gold medal each in the secondary boys’ 100-meter hurdles and shot put, respectively.
Mariel Noble captured a silver in the secondary girls’ 3,000-meter run, while Brea Trayco, settled for a bronze medal in the secondary girls’ long jump event, and Kharl Edrian Ecija also ended with a bronze in the elementary boys’ shot put.
In gymnastics, Althea Rose Crisostomo captured four golds for Negros Occidental in elementary girls’ aero, aero dance team (with Dave Ofquila, Nicole Rosatasi and Lee Sumbi), trio (with Rosatasi and Sumbi) and aero trio (with Ofquila and Rosatasi).
Arian Araez has three gold medals for Negros in the secondary girls’ individual, trio event (with Rolando Ducay, Jr. and Dayniel Ducay), and the aero dance team (with the two Ducays and May Lobaton).
Negros Occidental swimmers added more golds from its Day 1 collection courtesy of two by Alexi Cabayaran and one each from Anika Matiling, Savannah Secuelan, Maxene Uy, Earl Buncio, Intnyr Gabana, and the elementary boys’ and girls’ 4×50 relay team.
In chess, Negros Occidental’s John Donguines bagged two golds in the secondary boys’ individual blitz and team blitz (with Karl Patrick Badinas), while Precious Dolar won a gold in the girls’ individual blitz.
In arnis, Negros Occidental notched four golds with the trio of Arreanah Alvarado, Margarette Lagruto and Ferbelle Padreguil notching three golds in team events, while the tandem of Lagruto and Kervin Tubera also won a gold in pair event.
Meanwhile, Renalyn Cornel took home two silver medals in the secondary girls’ anyo individual sword and dagger and double weapon and a bronze medal in secondary girls’ anyo individual (single weapon).
Gian Carlo Alvarez ended up with a bronze in secondary boys’ anyo individual weapon before he teamed up with Franz Aj Lirazan and Ian Jay Aranas for anyo team double weapon.
Lirazan also added a bronze medal to his collection in the secondary boys’ anyo individual sword and dagger before he joined Aranas and Wynne Scott Jito for bronzes in anyo team sword and dagger and single weapon.
In archery, Isabella Unna Ejercito took home the gold medal in the secondary girls’ 50-meter event, while Micaela Antonette Manaloto also captured a gold in the secondary girls’ 30-meter./ASC, WDJ