TWENTY-ONE athletes checked in at Phitsanulok at close to midnight on Wednesday (February 5) for the 44th Asian Road Cycling Championships and 31st Asian Junior Road Cycling Championships that flags off tomorrow (Friday, February 7) in this city situated north of Thailand.

Cambodia 2023 Southeast Asian Games double bronze medalist Ronald Oranza and Philippines 2019 SEA Games gold medalist Jermyn Prado lead the team sent to the annual championships by the PhilCycling, headed by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

Joining them are junior riders Kent Steven Zambrano of Sultan Kudarat, Roy Benedict Plastina of Makati City, Mary Gwennielle Francisco of Quezon City and Jazmine Kaye Vinoya of Pangasinan and Baguio City who topped their respective events in the Batang Pinoy Nationals last December in Puerto Princesa City.

This marks the first time that the PhilCycling is fielding junior riders from the Batang Pinoy that serves as a feeder from the grassroots for the national team elite program.

Also on the team— whose participation is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission led by chairman Richard Bachmann and commissioner in charge for cycling Walter Torres— are Joshua Pascual, Julius Tudtud, Junrey Navarra, Marcelo Felipe, Steven Nicolas Shane Tablizo, Andrei Dennis Deudor, Jude Gabriel Francisco and Ruzel Agapito in the men’s category.         

Phoebe Salazar, Maura Christine March de los Reyes, Maritoni Krog, Kim Syrel Bonilla, Angelica Mae Altamarino, Angela Joy Marie Bermejo and Raven Joy Valdez are competing in the women’s contest for Team Cycling Philippines also backed by the MVP Sports Foundation.

The team arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday afternoon before embarking on a six-hour land trip to Phitsanulok, where the riders will vie in team mixed relay, individual time trial and road race events of the championships that end on February 17.

Accompanying the team are coaches Reinhard Gorantes, Mark John Lexer Galedo, Virgilio Espiritu, Marita Lucas and Joey de los Reyes and mechanics Reynaldo Navarro and Roderic Calla with Sunshine Joy Vallejos as team director.

MANILA — Twelve-year-old Aristen Aricela Ardice Dormitorio shone as the inaugural gold medalist in the 2023 Batang Pinoy, emerging triumphant in the Girls-13-Under Criterium cycling event at the Tagaytay City Centrum on Monday morning.

Dormitorio, the younger sibling of MTB (mountain bike) multi-medalist Ariana, completed the 30-minute, three-lap race in an impressive 45 minutes and 48.4 seconds, outpacing eight other competitors and proudly representing the Quezon City LGU squad.

“Masaya po. Meditate and prayers po kasama sa preparation ko,” said the Hope Integrated School student, who devoted significant time, training five hours a day, six days a week for her events.

Mirroring her older sister Ariana, Dormitorio is transitioning from mountain biking to road cycling and eagerly anticipates participating in the ITT, MTB XCO, and XCE events to bolster her medal count in the cycling competition under the supervision of Philcycling.

Bagging the silver and bronze medals were Yvaine Oasias and Ysabel Nicole Jamero of Iloilo, respectively.

In the boys’ division, Jhaykarl Ophir Macapagal Nuaez from Quezon City clinched the gold, with Kyle Jabat Florez of General Santos City and Marc Jerenz Atienza of Calapan securing the silver and bronze, respectively.

The multi-event competition for 17-year-olds and below, organized annually by the Philippine Sports Commission, witnessed another standout athlete with an impressive sports pedigree.

Matthew Diaz, the nephew of Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, excelled in the 12-Under Boys’ 37 kg weightlifting category.

Making his first stint in an organized competition, Diaz lifted 41kg in the snatch and 55kg in the clean and jerk, totaling 96kg and securing Rizal Province’s first gold in the weightlifting event of this meet held simultaneously with the Philippine National Games.

“Nakakanerbiyos po kasi unang sali ko pa lamang po. Sinabihan lang po ako ni ate Hidilyn na huwag matakot at isipin ko po na nasa ensayo lang po ako kaya nakayanan ko,” shared the 12-year-old Diaz, mentored by Hidilyn and her husband Julius Naranjo.

The renowned husband-wife tandem has recently established a weightlifting gym in Jala-Jala, Rizal, dedicated to nurturing young weightlifters for international competitions.

Zamboanga City also showcased its dominance in the sport as Adrian Bucol, a Grade 6 student at Zamboanga City National School, lifted a personal best of 103kg (45kg snatch and 58kg clean and jerk) to claim the gold in the 12-Under Boys 32Kg category.

“Pinaghandaan ko po talaga ang makasali dito sa Batang Pinoy,” expressed Bucol, dedicating his gold medal to his parents and aspiring to become an Olympian like his idol, Hidilyn.

Meanwhile, the 3×3 basketball and swimming competitions set records in Batang Pinoy history, with 123 teams participating in 3×3 basketball for boys and girls, and 2,400 individual swimmers in the swimming events.

This year’s edition of Batang Pinoy features 25 sports, including kickboxing and breaking, which are making their debut in the PSC’s premier grassroots sports program.

(ai/mnm)