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KORONADAL—She jumps high. She runs fast. And Luville
Dato-On studies hard.
That’s
why the 16-year-old fresh high-school graduate doesn’t
only have two gold medals in the Palarong Pambansa. She
also has a medal for being valedictorian in her class.
The
Iloilo teen won the gold medal in the 100 meters to
become the first double-mint winner in the secondary
girls division in athletics Wednesday at the South
Cotabato Sports Complex. She did it with a time of 12.6
seconds to give
Western Visayas its fourth gold in the distaff side in high-school
action.
But
while the heat of competition rose higher, so did the
alarm over the rising temperature which resulted to a
second death, that of a parade marshal Wednesday.
Edwin
Gulmatico, 40, complained of numbness in his hands and
feet Sunday and was taken immediately to the Allah
Valley Hospital. He did not recover.
The
official cause of death reported by a hospital official
was complications due to hyperthermia or dehydration of
the body. Raymund Prieto, chief of the medical team for
the Palaro, said measures for safety should cover all
involved in the tournament.
In
swimming, Gian Berino continued his quest for a perfect
stint in the tournament by netting two more gold medals
and upping his mint total to five.
The
incoming high-school freshman clocked one minute and 1.3
seconds to get his third individual gold medal in the
elementary boys class. Later, Berino joined forces with
his National Capital Region mates to dominate the
400-meter medley relay and go five-for-five in two days
of pool action.
Berino,
already assured of an athletic scholarship at the Ateneo
High School, was both humble and confident.
Answering if he would go seven-for-seven, Berino smiled
and sheepishly nodded, “Siguro po. Mukhang gan’un na nga.”
The
Tondo-raised swimmer will compete in the 50 backstroke
Thursday and the 200 individual medley tomorrow.
Berino’s
teammate, Hannah Dato, picked up two more golds and
hiked her total to four.
After
winning gold medals in the 50 butterfly and 200 medley
relay, Dato grabbed the titles in 100 freestyle and 400
medley relay Wednesday.
Four
other NCR bets—two each from the elementary and
high-school divisions—won three golds each.
On
Tuesday, Dato-On of Region VI won the long-jump gold,
her third straight in the national Games dating back to
2005.
Officials of San Enrique High School, Dato-On’s alma
mater, expressed pride in the lass, saying it was rare
that an exceptional athlete excelled just the same in
her academics.
When
asked which was sweeter to win gold medals or to become
valedictorian, Dato-On said if she had to choose, it
would be both.
“Ang
pagiging valedictorian kasi minsan lang makukuha ng
isang tao, ’yung mga gold medals pwede ka pang umulit,”
Dato-On said. “Pero kung ako lang, parehas na masarap
ang pakiramdam syempre.”
Mary Joy
Caparas’s win in the 800 was the fourth for Region VI in
the secondary girls’ class. She timed two minutes and
20.5 seconds.
In other
800 events, Cedric Montecer of Southern Tagalog took the
title in elementary boys with a time of 2:14.9; Russell
Kaw of Mimaropa (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan) won
the secondary boys crown by clocking 2:02.7; and Divina
Kitongan of the
Cordilleras secured the 800 elementary girls trophy (2:28.9).
In the
morning session, the NCR bets turned their attention to
a most unlikely source of mints.
Two of
the region’s high-school boys and an elementary-school
girl got NCR off on the right foot and the defending
overall champions bagged half of the six gold medals
available in track and field before noon.
Randolf
Fernandez claimed NCR’s second athletics gold after none
of his opponents could beat his 32.74-meter hurl in
discus throw. In the other secondary boys event, Jose
Unso clocked 52.3 seconds to win the 400 hurdles.
Ana
Marie Rodriguez also won the 400 hurdles with a time of
one minute and 10.3 seconds in the elementary girls’
class.
NCR’s
campaign Wednesday was not overpowering, but the Big
City tankers still took seven of the 11 titles
available.
Four
other NCR bets, after joining their star teammates’ gold
rush, won three mints each.
Meanwhile, the medical task force for the Games revealed
it has already attended to more than 100 cases of
heat-exhausted athletes.
On
Tuesday, some 53 athletes, mostly girls competing in the
middle-distance runs, were treated by Prieto’s team.
Prieto
said that as of Wednesday morning, 17 more athletes were
affected by extreme heat, bringing the total to 116
victims since Sunday.
But
we’re just one station, there are other stations who are
also treating other athletes for heat exhaustion, Prieto
said.
Prieto’s
team, made up of Red Cross as well as local medical
volunteers, is also treating athletes for burns.
Despite
the sweltering heat, some participants still chose to
run barefoot.
Two
girls in the elementary 100 m ran shoeless in their
event and were treated by Prieto’s team.
Arnoe
Doronio, a bronze medalist in elementary boys triple
jump, was under medical care after suffering
first-degree burns.
Prieto
said that he had already reminded teams to wear shoes
given the searing temperature.
“They
say they run faster barefoot, so it’s really upon the
coaches or athletes discretion,” Prieto added. “We’ve
already done what we can on our part, but if they insist
we cant do anything about it.” |
