By Jean Malanum
LAOAG CITY – Chrisia Mae Tajarros of Eastern Visayas Region bagged the first gold medal at the 65th Palarong Pambansa Monday after ruling the secondary girls’ 3000-meter run at Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. Memorial Stadium here.
She clocked 10 minutes and 18.6 seconds to beat Mary Mae Magbanua of Caraga (10:48.4) and Nathalei Faye Miguel of Ilocos Region (10:50.4).
“The training is worth it, my daily sacrifice to get the gold. I will not stop chasing my dream to compete abroad,” the 13-year-old Tajarros, a student at Leyte’s Tanauan National High School, said.
Eastern Visayas got another gold medal from Efosa John Paul Aguinaldo in the secondary boys’ long jump event.
Aguinaldo, 17, prevailed over MJ Lloyd Lora of Calabarzon and Jester Renz Robedizo of Central Luzon. The pride of Hindang Stand Alone Senior High School, also in Leyte, was tied with Lora at 6.90 meters but prevailed with a 6.83m as against his opponent’s 6.59m.
In the elementary boys’ long jump event, Northern Mindanao’s Khint Gimarangan of Valencia City, Bukidnon won Mindanao’s first gold medal with a 5.50m effort, beating Dave Jhon Lumanao of Zamboanga Peninsula (5.49m) and Raymund Roy Carmona of Caraga (5.45m).
Calabarzon Region’s Sam Garcia, 12 of Tuy, Batangas, secured the gold medal in the elementary girls’ discus throw with a 33.97m heave. Shanee Miep Guillarte of Caraga settled for silver at 30.96m while Rhian Angela Encomienda of the National Capital Region (NCR) got bronze with 30.90m.
The top three in the secondary girls’ discus throw event were Courtney Jewel Trangia of Bicol Region, Heart Duarte of NCR and Baby Gryll Alforo; while in weightlifting’s secondary boys 48kg class, Calabarzon’s Matthew Diaz, nephew of Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, won with a 73kg in snatch and 93kg in clean & jerk, beating Zamboanga Peninsula’s Generosmel Cortez and NCR’s Rayney Joy Espina.
Scholar athlete
In a social media post, the Department of Education in Bicol (DepEd-5) said Trangia, a Grade 12 student at the Masbate Sports Academy, recorded an impressive throw of 36.75 meters on her final attempt to secure the top spot.
A native of Balud, Masbate, Trangia has showcased her strength and athletic skills since elementary school, according to her coach, John Rey Mendoza. She graduated with honors in both academics and sports awards from the Masbate Sports Academy.
This coming school year, she will continue her athletic career as a scholar at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
In addition to her achievements at the Palarong Pambansa, Trangia has previously brought home honors from international athletics competitions, including a gold medal in Vietnam, a gold medal in Indonesia, a silver medal in Thailand, a bronze medal in Malaysia, and a top 8 finish in Dubai.
On May 27, Trangia is set to compete in the Shot Put event.
Over 600 officials, student-athletes, and coaches from six provinces in the Bicol region formed the Bicol Vulcans team for the Bicol Region Athletics Association (BRAA) delegation for the 65th Palarong Pambansa 2025. (with a report from Connie Calipay/PNA)
