Saluan is track queen as NCR pulls away in CHED Games

UAAP athletic star Serenata Saluan continued with her golden performance at the track as the National Capital Region bets started to pull away from the rest of the field in the CHED National Games on Friday. Saluan, a Tausug native from Tawi-Tawi, won her fourth straight gold medal to emerge as the most bemedalled performer in the week-long event when she helped her team top the 4x400-meter women’s relay. She earlier won the 800, 1,500 and 3,000m races – the first two in record times. Running in the second leg, the 17-year-old UST Physical Education freshman moved ahead of the pack to establish a wide lead en route to a winning time of three minutes and 51.6 seconds. "Of course, masaya ako," said Saluan, who will be receiving P40,000 from the Philippine Sports Commission after establishing a national junior and CHED records in the 800 and 1,500 meter runs. "Yong iba, padala ko sa pamilya, yong natira sa bangko," added Saluan, the eldest of five boys and three girls, who’s also making a name for herself in the local running scene after winning the 5-kilometer run in the Century Tuna Superbods event last week that earned her P10,000. NCR completed a sweep of the 4x400m relay with the men’s quartet of Christopher Demata, Jayson Tanteo, Abraham Alzona and John Robles taking the gold in 3:21.3 as the Big City tracksters, like the swimmers before them, stamped their class by capturing 31golds – 11 in the men’s and 20 in the women’s – in the event. Region 6’s Joseph Binas was the top male athlete after his squad took the 4x400m relay bronze, to go with his earlier victories in the 400m run and 400m hurdles. Big City tankers, jins deliver The NCR bets, as of posting time, already hauled 85 gold – 55 coming from swimming – 30 silver and 21 bronze medals followed by Region 7 (17-12-16), Region 4-A (15-30-31) and Region 6 (14-31-30). NCR also made their mark in taekwondo as the Big City jins clinched 11 of the 18 gold medals up for grabs. The NCR gold medalists were Gerald Como (finweight), Daniel Tan (bantamweight), Sandy Camino (lightweight), Ron Servito (middleweight) Butch de Vera (heavyweight) in the men’s class; Michelle Monterey (finweight), Winlove dela Cerna (flyweight), Karla Jane Alava (featherweight), Marifi Gadit (welterweight) and Sandra Santosidad (middleweight) in the women’s division.. Davao rules boxing ring Davao ruled the boxing ring by collecting four of the eight gold medals at stake. Mark Antonio Barriga, a University of Mindanao-Panabo sophomore and nephew of former national boxer Joel Barriga, showed the way after a 19-5 whipping of Region 4-B’s Lorry Castor to bag the lightflyweight gold. Lightflyweight Alfredo Deano, lighwelterweight Jay-Ar Inson and welterweight Jefferson Nunez are Region 11’s other winners. Deano dumped Region 7’s Robert Eturma, 30-11, Inson cruised to a 37-14 whipping of Region 12’s Redgie Fenis and Nunez trounced Region 12’s Ronjie Calunsag, 28-18. The Cordillera Autonomous Region (CA) won three gold medals courtesy of featherweight Glicerio Catolico III, flyweight Cristantor Godaren and bantamweight David Pacray. Catolico, son of national women’s coach Glicerio Catolico Jr., coasted a one-sided 68-29 Mauling of Region 4-B’s Redentor Mabras while Godaren scored a third round referee-stopped-contest verdict against Region 8’s Jason Entia. Pacray only needed 1:27 of the first round to bring Region 9’s Stephen Dolor to submission. NCR’s lone boxing gold came from lanky middleweight Jay Harold Gregorio, who defeated Region 9’s Leo Militante, 38-18. Majority of the ballgames such as basketball, volleyball and football were set to have their championships early Saturday before the meet winds up with closing ceremonies starting at 2 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial oval. – GMANews.TV