Masbate discus thrower Trangia leads Day 1 record-breakers in Batang Pinoy

PALAWAN, Philippines – Discus thrower Courtney Jewel Trangia added another feather to her cap after copping her third consecutive Batang Pinoy gold medal to open the 2024 edition of the national grassroots tournament at the Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex here. 

Trangia, representing Masbate, threw a tournament-record 38.31 meters in the girls under-18 division, although it was way short of her goal of 40 meters. 

Before her gold-medal exploits, Trangia threw 39.70m in the Jogja 24-Indonesia U18 Athletics Open in Yogyakarta. 

After her noteworthy performance, the Bicolana teen will head to Malaysia where she will compete in the Southeast Asian Youth Athletics Championships in Kota Kinabalu from November 28-30. 

“It is my last Batang Pinoy so it is a bittersweet moment that I leave this record here,” said the 17-year-old Trangia. 

Meanwhile, Arvin Naeem Tanguinota II, the most bemedaled swimmer of the 2023 edition, secured the first gold medal in the sport after ruling the boys 12-13 200-meter individual medley by clocking 2:22.02 minutes.

Taguinota, representing Pasig, is coached by former Olympian Jessie Lacuna. 

Also in the afternoon session, Anton Paulo Dominick Della of San Fernando, La Union, reset the record for the boys 16-17 200m individual medley with a time of 2:15.58 minutes, eclipsing the former mark of 2:16.66 set by Lucena’s Peter Cyrus Dean last year. 

Meanwhile, weightlifter Maybelle Briones copped the best total tally of 92kg (40kg + 52kg) in the children girls 35kg weight category.

Briones, a student at Angono Elementary School in Rizal, said she is fortunate to be coached by Richard “Pep” Agosto, the same coach of Olympian Vanessa Sarno.

In the afternoon session, Adrian Bucol of Zamboanga City won the 12-13 boys 37-kilogram weightlifting category, having triumphed over a sizable setback. 

In cruel wordplay of his surname, which means lump in Filipino, the young Zamboangueño had a prominent bulge near his palm caused by an infection.

But Bucol was still all smiles despite being jeered by his teammates and friends. After all, he just blew away his competition. 

The son of a housewife and a fish carrier, Bucol had been enduring the injury, but still managed to lift a total of 112kg (51kg in snatch, 61kg in clean and jerk), 9 kilos better than second-placer Dan Angelo Forcadilla of Rizal province.

“Masaya ako na nakuha ko, kahit na may pigsa ako,” (I’m happy I won despite the boil),” the jovial Bucol told a handful of reporters.

Prodded on by his sister to start the sport at nine years old, Bucol said he is raring for a great future in competition. – Rappler.com