Fil-Am gymnast bags 7 gold medals in National Games

A Fil-Am gymnasts became the Philippine National Games’ winningest athlete by snaring seven gold medals at stake in men’s artistic gymnastics even as members of the national athletics team continued their domination in the centerpiece event on the third day of this event Tuesday in Bacolod City. Jean Nathan Monteclaro, a veteran of the NCAA team championships back in California, stamped his class in the men’s artistic gymnastics by winning the gold medals in the floor exercise, pommel horse, parallel bars, high bar, horse vault, still rings and the individual all around. Jean Nathan along with twin brother Christian came all the way from California to compete in the PNG in a bid to earn a spot in the national team competing in this year’s Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia this November. Despite pulling out of competition after spraining his ankle on the course of his practice rin, Christian was still included in the national pool. “Pasok na pareho yung kambal sa national team. Kasi nakita naman namin at napatunayan na talagang pareho silang magaling at totoo yung mga nasa credentials nila," said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president and former Philippine Sports Commission commissioner Cynthia Carreon. Aside from Nathan, among those with notable gold medal performances were those of women’s artistic Anna Cruz and Regine Reynoso in the girl’s category. A mainstay of the women’s national team, Cruz swept all the five gold medals in her division — the horse vault, uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and the individual all around. She bested her fellow national team members Raissa Saguisag, Desiree Saldaña and Amanda Alejandrino. Reynoso, on the other hand, edged Cristina Onofre as the former took the gold medals in the vault, uneven bars and individual all around. Onofre earned her gold medals in the balance beam and floor exercise. In the boys division, 10-year-old Carlos Yulo bagged three gold medals, one each on the floor, rings and parallel bars while older bets Jag Timbang, Anthony Ombac and Lance Neil Castaneda pocketed one each in the pommel horse, vault and high bars respectively. In athletics, reigning Southeast Asian Games champions Arneil Ferrera and Rene Herrera along with fellow national team members Julius Nierras, Riezel Buenaventura, Eliezer Sunang and Keizel Pedrina dominated their respective events just as expected. Five time SEAG champion Herrera, a native of Kabangkalan, Negros Occidental capture the gold medal in his favorite event hammer throw event with a heave of 57.55 meters. Although way below his SEA Games record of 61.62 meters which he established during the 2009 Laos Games, Herrera’s throw proved to be too much to topples the rest of the participants. His mark was 11 meters ahead of silver medal winner Karl Christian Francisco of Team UAAP, who registered 45.93 meters. Herrera, the SEA Games 3,000-meter steeplechase king, retained his national title as he topped the event in 9:06.02. Former Palarong Pambansa gold medalist Christopher Ulboc checked in second with a time of 9:18.22. Nierras took the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter run in 48.55 seconds while Buenaventura topped the women’s pole vault after clearing the bar at 3.81 meters. Pedrina, also the reigning UAAP champion from University of Santo Tomas, won the gold in the women’s 400-meter dash in 58.12 seconds while Sunang captured the gold in the men’s shotput with a heave of 15.57 meters, which was way below the national record of 16.35 meters he established in last year’s National Open in Manila. Local bet Maika de Oro of Barangay Mansilingan became the athletics meet’s double gold medal winner as she snatched her second gold medal in girls’ shotput with a heave of 10.18 meters in the discuss throw. Her feat was duplicated by Baguio’s Jessa Mangsat, who won the gold medals in the girls 5,000 meters (18:38.79) and 10,000 meters (38:33.2), respectively. - RCJ, GMA News