Ilonggos sizzle on first day

The Ilo-ilo National High School is returning to the Milo Little Olympics Regional Finals for the first time in 12 years. And what a comeback it was.

Yesterday, Ilo-ilo NHS proved it did not make the long travel to Cebu just to experience the games but to vie for the overall championship as well. And if the opening day results were any indication, the Ilongos are here to pose a serious challenge to the 16-year reign of the University of Cebu.

And what a way to do it than to beat UC at the nerve-center of its dominance – in track and field where the Ilongos captured four of the first five golds at stake yesterday with UC  winning one.

Leading the Ilongos’ charge is 17-year old Axel Catalbas who topped the secondary boys 5,000 and 1,500 meter runs. He also won the meet’s first gold medal.

His double-gold output thrusts the shy Guimaras Island runner to celebrity status in the games attended by 7,000 of the region’s best school-based athletes.

“I was not expecting that it would happen. I was not able to sleep before the competition that’s why I am very happy right now,” said Catalbas a regular fixture in Ilo-ilo’s fun runs.

Joining him in the gold medal roster were schoolmates Joneza Mae Sastituedo who topped the secondary girls 1,500-meter run and Lanz Jeremy Halongong who ruled the shot put event. John Christian Capasao also finished third in the event.

“We only set conservative goals in this competition. We did not expect our training program to be this effective although these athletes  were already medalists when they were still in the elementary level,” said Ilo-ilo NHS delegation head Gary Jamili.

UC’s lone gold came in secondary girls high jump courtesy of Chantel Tanucan.

TAEKWONDO GOLD MINE

Taekwondo also proved to be a veritable gold mine for the Ilongos who won six gold medals in the event including four in the secondary division.

Saint John Institute of Bacolod City’s Stephanie Lamayo bagged the pinweight gold, Irene Therese Bermejo of Trinity Christian School Bacolod topped the flyweight division, Juliene Bermejo added another gold in the Ilonggos’ harvest by dominating the bantamweight category while Allysa Amihan of Negros Occidental High School won gold in the heavyweight class.

The Ilongos also won two golds in the elementary competition courtesy of Adrian Philip Amihan and Francisco Entierro in boys kumite. Amihan is from the Elementary and Training Center School Bacolod while Entierro is from Asuncion Lizares Elementary School.

Ilo-ilo National High School’s football team wrapped up the Ilonggos’ impressive return by defeating Saint Louis College-Mandaue, 10-0.

Meanwhile, the embattled UC won five medals yesterday including only one gold, one silver and three bronzes in the centerpiece athletics event.

However, UC athletic director Bernard Ricablanca remains hopeful they will be able to defend their overall title but added that after 16 years of being overall champion, it won’t hurt that much should a new team emerge on top.

He also revealed that UC is fielding a rookie-filled lineup with the graduation of their track stars.

UC’s powerhouse teams in badminton, table tennis and chess will be its key to retaining the overall but Ricablanca said he is expecting Abellana National School (ANS) and the University of San Carlos-Basic Education Department (USC-BED) to be their toughest contenders this year. ANS and USC-BED finished second and third last year.

Meanwhile, the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) topped the first day tally in the elementary division with two golds, a silver and bronze followed by Basak Community Elementary School with two golds and a bronze while USC-BED has two golds and a bronze.

Action continues today in various venues here.