PUERTO PRINCESA - Proving that his triumph in the last Palarong Pambansa was no fluke, Iloilo Province's Franklin Catera reasserted his mastery in the boys under-18 high jump, in a new meet record of 1.98 meters in the Batang Pinoy National Championships at the Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex here Tuesday.
On a bright and sunny early morning, Catera, 16, erased the old mark of 1.97 meters he himself set in the 2023 Manila edition of the meet held at the Philsports track oval in Pasig City organized by the Philippine Sports Commission.
The Tigbauan National High School Grade 10 student rededicated his latest win in the competition organized by the Philippine Sports Commission to his late elder brother and main supporter Michael John, who passed away last year.
Catera's latest triumph was also .20 meters better than this golden jump in the Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City last July.
Masbate's Alessandra Nicole won the other gold medal in the morning in the girls under-18 triple jump with a leap of 11.20 meters, tying the old mark set by Desiree Ann Alaba in the same competition last year in Manila.
In late overnight results, US-trained athlete Haylee Garcia stamped her class in sweeping all five events in the girls senior division of women's artistic gymnastics at the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines training center in Intramuros, Manila.
Coached by Van Talingting at the Arizona Dreams Gymnastics Club in Prescott, Arizona, Garcia bagged the individual all-around mints with a combined tally of 46.9 points after topping the balance beam (11.85), floor exercise (12.6), uneven bars (10.9) and vault (11.775), respectively.
Over at the RVM pool, the bid of Arvin Taguinota and Sophia Rose Garra of Pasig and Malabon, respectively, to annex their fourth straight golds each were foiled in the sportsfest supported by the Puerto Princesa City government led by Mayor Lucilo Bayron, Pocari and Summit Mineral Water.
The most bemedalled athlete in last year's BP Nationals held at the Teofilo Yldefonso pool in Manila, Taguinota lost by an eye-blink in the boys 12 to 13-year-old 100-meter butterfly race to General Santos City's Christian Isaiah Lagnason, who won in 1:02.35 to the former's 1:02.55.
The top pick in the girls 12 to 13-year-old 100-meter breaststroke based on her seed time of 2:51, Garra had an off day and was relegated to fourth place (2:59.89) in the event won by Baguio City's Jan Eowyn Caruncho in 2:54.93.
"You win some, you lose some. This is what I gold Sophia after she lost. She was off but I know she'll learn from it," noted coach and Sydney Olympian Jennifer Guerrero.
Joining the ranks of triple gold medalists was Naga's Albert Jose Amaro II, who set a new meet record in winning the 16 to 17-year-old boys in 24.32 seconds, surpassing his own previous mark of 24.53 last year.
His other triumph later in the day came in the 100-meter butterfly race in clocking 57.79 seconds.
Also picking up her third mint was Aklan's Nuche Veronica Ibit, who ruled the girls 14 to 15-year-old freestyle race in 28.25 seconds.
