By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense runner Romeo Constancio emerged as the most bemedaled cadet with three golds in the athletics event of the 2023 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Games Visayas leg at the Iloilo Sports Complex.

The University of Negros Occidental-Recolectos standout outraced Peter Molina of West Visayas State University (WVSU) in the crucial stretch to rule the men’s 100-meter dash in 11.5 seconds.

It was the third gold medal for the Negros Occidental’s Pulupandan-native Constancio in the tournament after also ruling the 4×400-meter and 4×100-meter relay with teammates David Paul Balagat, John Lloyd Moreno and Christian Sericon.

“I am very thankful to our Creator for this wonderful gift. I never expected this. This is my first time to participate in a multi-event meet,” the second-year criminology student Constancio said.

The 20-year-old Constancio actually had a chance to take home his fourth gold medal in the tournament, but he settled for a runner-up finish to Molina in the men’s 200-meter run last Tuesday, August 15.

Capiznon Piepet Prebillo notched her second gold medal after topping the women’s 100-meter dash to add up to her earlier gold medal in the women’s 200-meter run, which she finished in 27.91 seconds.

“I’m very happy to win both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter run, and become the fastest woman in this competition,” Prebillo, a second-year criminology student of Filamer Christian School in Capiz, said.

Meanwhile, Jerson Gison of WVSU clinched two gold medals in the Philippine Army’s competition of the men’s 100-meter dash in 11.7 seconds and 4×100-meter relay. He also won a silver in the 200-meter run.

Maria Eden Cornelia, also of WVSU, captured two gold medals in the Philippine Air Force category, when she topped the women’s 200-meter and 100-meter dash.

The gold and silver medal winners in all the events in the ROTC Games Visayas leg will earn a slot in the national finals, which will be tentatively held in Metro Manila this October./ASC, WDJ