Balamban, Cebu – Mandaue City showed that it can be a team to be reckoned with as two of its athletes in athletics clinched the first two gold medals in yesterday’s start of hostilities of the 2015 Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) Regional Meet, hosted by Cebu Province and held in this southwest town, a little more than an hour’s drive from Cebu City.
Mandaue’s Shanelle Demilys Siasoyco of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) bagged the first gold medal by throwing her personal best of 10.30-meter in the secondary girls’ shotput event, while Shen Camay of the Mandaue City Central Elementary School topped the elementary girls division of the same event with her best throw of 8.17-m.
The Track and Field events were held at the Mayor E.S. Binghay Memorial Sports Oval.
In her third stint in this regional meet organized by the Department of Education, the 15-year-old Siasoyco finally bagged her first gilt improving her silver finish last year. She joined her first CVIRAA competition when she was still in Grade 6.
Although she had trained and aimed to win, Siasoyco said clinching the first gold was unexpected because she knew she would be up against the region’s best.
She said her mantra going into the games was “I will do my best, I will perform my best.” The third year highschool student also prayed that she be guided in her quest, which she was able to achieve in her second to the last throw.
The one child among three siblings who have inherited her parents’ love for sports, Siasoyco used to play football but found her calling in athletics when she tried it upon the prodding of SHS-AdC athletics coach Presing Capangpangan.
In contrast, her teammate, Camay, is a newbie in the sport. In the run-up to the Mandaue Meet, Camay said her teacher had told her to tryout because she has the built for the sport. She made the team and not only did she win during the Mandaue City Meet, she is also now enjoying her first CVIRAA gilt.
Camay, however, admitted that she had performed better during the city meet because she got nervous in yesterday’s games. She throw her best in her first attempt.
Mandaue City also racked up wins in the team events—basketball, football and table tennis.
Its secondary boys basketball team, the defending champions, started their title-retention bid on a right note by winning their first assignment against Tanjay, 86-24, at the E.S. Binghay Memorial Cultural Center.
In football also played at the Mayor E.S. Binghay Sports Oval, former junior national team member Kintaro Miyagi saved the day for the Mandaue team when he scored the lone goal against Negros Oriental just a few seconds before the whistle sounded out the end of the game.
Miyagi, a member of the first batch of Little Azkals, found the back of the net during a goalmouth scramble.
Mandaue also tallied its first win in table tennis held at the multi-purpose building of St. Francis Academy with a 3-1 outsmarting of Guihulngan in the elementary boys.
The overall defending champions, the Cebu City Ninos, also started its title-retention campaign on the right path by also tallying two gold medals via Jan Moses Estrada who topped the secondary boys shotput with his 12.10-m throw, and Nina Marie Antiola whose 4.73-m jump allowed her to dominate the secondary girls’ long jump event.
The Ninos also accounted for eight silver medals and two bronze medals. The five silvers and one bronze were contributed by the arnis team manned by the University of Cebu.
The rest of the silver medals were handed in by Jhuvan John Baculot in the secondary boys long jump, Jan Allyson Pajantoy in the secondary girls shotput and Rex Amamanpang in the elementary boys long jump.
The remaining bronze medal was courtesy of Kim Obuta in the secondary girls shotput.
The Ninos also posted wins in basketball and table tennis but faltered in football.
Its secondary boys bastketball team had an impressive first game against Toledo City, 96-14.
Its paddlers also triumphed over their first assignments with the elementary boys blanking Carcar, 3-0, and its secondary boys team scoring the same against Naga.
In football, wherein the Ninos are the defending champions, Moiselle Angelo Alforque, also a former member of the national junior team, averted a loss by scoring the equalizer in their game against Dumaguete. The team’s key players also picked up three yellow cards only in their first match. Aside from Alforque, also handed a yellow card were Ivan Palmero and Charles Bayot.
The team’s core is made up of booters from Don Bosco Technology Center with reinforcements from University of Southern Philippines Foundation and Paref Springdale.
Other delegations who notched a gold medal yesterday were host Cebu Povince via Nicho Duane Maquiling in the elementary boys’ long jump, and Negros Oriental via multi-medalist Kit Vincent Pelletero in the secondary boys’ long jump.
Although the games already started yesterday, the CVIRAA 2015 will be formally opened today yet at the Mayor E.S. Binghay Sports Oval.
To formally declare it open is Assistant Secretary of Legal and Legislative Affairs of DepEd, Tonisito M.C. Umali.
Aside from Umali, also invited to this afternoon’s opening ceremonies are Cebu Province Gov. Hilario Davide III, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Balamban Mayor Ace Stefan Binghay, Toledo City Mayor John Henry Osmena and Asturias Mayor Allan Adlawan.
Maxim Czarina D. Estay, Palarong Pambansa gold medalist for volleyball, will lead the athletes in the Oath of Amateurism while Clint Mar Sinadjan, Palarong Pambansa bronze medalist for sepak takraw, will be the torch bearer.
