First time, first place for Milo meet rookie

WHILE some athletes hang their racing jerseys without ever tasting success, and others lucky enough to claim a gold or two in their entire career, a rare few manage to snag the shining metal in just their first try.

That’s what happened to 11-year-old Jon Dean Durano of Cebu Institute of Technology-University.

Durano grabbed the first gold medal disputed in this year’s 16th Milo Regional Little Olympics in just his initial foray into serious competition. The bubbly youngster, who is also a promising cager, topped the elementary boys discus throw.

“We really did not expect him to win that easily because at first he seemed not so interested in track and field,” said his father Engr. Ronald Referente, himself an accomplished athlete as a former varsity volleyball player.

Durano heaved the iron disc to a winning distance of 18.59 meters last Saturday in a perfoamnce that surprised him.

The youngster himself seemed still in a state of disbelief after he was proclaimed the first gold medalist of the multi-sports meet this year. He said his throwing skills were discovered during his school’s sportsfest last year.

“Na discover ko nila kadto man pag sportsfest namo. Sukad ato gi train nako nila ug maayo para mo compete sa Milo,” said the wide-eyed Milo rookie.

Later last Saturday, Durano won his second gold by ruling the shot put event, erasing any doubts about his earlier win.

“Wa jud ko nagdahom maabot ko ani,” said Durano who is also a draftee in CIT-U’s basketball team.

ROUGH DIAMOND

His coach Angelito Villaver Jr. said that what Durano has is pure, natural talent. He said that the boy, with proper training, is a cinch to become a star athlete.

“He is totally different from the other athletes because he plays two sports in our school and he is good in both. The only problem is he is still undecided about what sport he will focus on,” said Villaver.

Last Sunday, Durano only finished fourth in the javelin throw but still remained in high spirits saying there is still a next time to try and improve.

“Para nako satisfied ra ko sa akong performance, dako na kayo na nako nga butang ang maka gold medal ug duha kabuok bisan ug first timer pa ko,” said the CIT-U sixth grader.

For his coach, Durano is a rare find, a rough diamond that will one day surely take his spot among the country’s sports greats.

“We will not waste time, we will train this boy the best we can, because he is very promising,” said Villaver who vowed to ask school officials to draft an incentive scheme for their winners.

Durano’s dad said that this early, he will start saving money for his son’s training and other needs to help him achieve his full potential.

“We know that our child needs our support, so right now we are saving money so that we can accompany him to Pangasinan for the National Finals. We will support him all the way,” said Ronald.

Indeed, the youngster has gone a long way. From being a virtual unknown, Durano is not only the 16th Milo Regionals’ first gold medalist, he has also installed himself as one of the region’s brightest bet for athletics superstardom.