Torres winds 2nd gold in POC-PSC National Games

Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) long jump queen Maristella Torres became the first double gold medalist among the members of the national athletics team in the ongoing 2011 POC-PSC National Games on Wednesday at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City. Torres, 30, added the women’s long jump gold medal to the women’s triple jump hardware she previously won. The San Jose, Negros Oriental native topped her favorite event after posting a 6.38-meter leap. The 2009 Asian Amateur Athletics Championships gold medalist bested junior athlete Catherine Kay Santos of Baguio City who registered a leap of 6.09 meters. "Masaya ako kasi napakatagal na panahon nang hindi ako nakakasali sa National Open," said Torres. "Natutuwa ako kasi may nakikita na akong puwedeng pumalit sa akin kapag nagkataon," said Torres referring to Santos. “Kasi nga junior pa lang sya pero nakakatalon na sya ng 6 meters." Santos also won the triple jump silver with a leap of 12.09 meters, placing second to Torres (12.55 meters). Other national team members who won gold are SEA Games marathon champion Eduardo Buenavista (men’s 10,000 meter run, 31:59.54) and Michael Embuedo (men’s 20,000 meter walk, 1:53:14.36) Former UAAP MVP and boys’ decathlon national record holder Jesson Ramil Cid ruled the same event with 6,287 points. Cid, a member of UAAP Season 73 athletics champion Far Eastern University (FEU), also won the 400 meter hurdles title with a time of 54.06 seconds then anchored his team to top the 4 x 100 meter relay. National team candidate Patrick Unso also won his second gold medal after ruling the boys’ 400 meter hurdles (54.47 sconds). In other events, 2009 Tour of Luzon John Mark Galedo topped the unified cycling national open championships individual time trial race held at the town of Murcia. Galedo posted a time of 48:52.36 to beat fellow national team members Tomas Martinez (50:41.12) and Merculio Ramos (50:45.12). Former SEA Games champion Walbert Mendoza won the first gold in fencing at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) Gymnasium. Mendoza defeated Edmon Velez of University of the East to rule the men’s individual sabre event, UE’s Eric Brando and La Salle’s Gian Carl Nocom for the bronze medals. – JVP, GMA News