NCR, Western Visayas bets shine as 4 Palarong Pambansa records fall

National Capital Region collected 11 golds on the first day of swimming competitions Tuesday, even as four Palarong Pambansa records fell at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex in Puerto Princesa City.
With new discus throw record-holder Maika De Oro leading the way, Western Visayas showed its might in athletics by increasing its haul to five golds to keep in step with the Manila athletes.
De Oro, an incoming sophomore at St. Benilde School in Bacolod City, became the only active athlete holding records in both elementary and secondary divisions when she established a new meet mark in girls’ javelin throw.
The 13-year-old De Oro hurled the disc to 32.62meters to eclipse the eight-year-old mark of 32.45m owned by Central Visayas\' Nina Marie Lumapaz.
De Oro, whose father, Manuel, is a former national pole vault champion and her sister, Mayven, former Palaro secondary and collegiate champion in the same event, also holds the elementary division mark of 33.07m, a record she set last year in Koronadal.
Adding strength to the Western Visayas bid were Ivan Jey Sucaldo, who topped secondary triple jump with a 14.20m leap, and Elena Camiring, the elementary girls\' shot put winner with a 9.61m throw.
Region 6 swept secondary javelin throw early Monday, courtesy of Sharmaine Joy Bucaling and Ralph Gesulgon.