BUILDING ON their momentum from notching their first points in the previous day, the Ateneo Track and Field Teams flew high on day three of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Athletics Tournament. The events were held yesterday at the Philsports Athletics Stadium in Pasig City.

The various Athletics events kicked off with Ateneo’s Nash Candelario and Isaiah Yu running the 400m Heats. Although failing to place in the top eight, both tracksters managed to finish within impressive times, only trailing a few seconds behind the awardees. The rookie Candelario timed 51.61 seconds, while his co-runner Yu finished at 53.09 seconds.

Elsewhere, Emilio Perez racked up points for the Ateneo Men’s Track and Field team (AMTFT) in the Javelin throw competition. After executing three impressive long-distance throws, Perez consequently secured a spot in the finals. In the last round, Perez placed sixth overall, powering through a distance of 51.24 meters.

Moving on to the Ateneo Women’s Track and Field Team (AWTFT), Franxine Regalado represented the team in the 3000m walk. Amidst difficulty topping her competitors, the Blue Eagle showed perseverance to complete the track in 20 minutes and 59.14 seconds.

The succeeding meet would see one of the most anticipated track events as AWTFT skipper Jia Kawachi donned the Blue and White one last time. From the get-go, the pole vault superstar set her sights on breaking the record for the highest pole vault jump in UAAP history. On her first attempt, she cleared 3.25 meters. Without any of her competitors matching up to the veteran’s standards, Kawachi comprehensively bagged Ateneo’s first gold medal of the tournament.

Only reaching 3.10 meters last season, the AWTFT stalwart did not let the opportunity to make history elude her this time. Besting Far Eastern University’s former pole vaulter and former AWTFT coach Riezel Buenaventura’s record of 3.40 meters, Kawachi jumped 3.41 meters and made history on her second attempt. Proving to have a champion’s mindset, Kawachi did not settle and continued to soar for greater heights. Ultimately, the pole vault queen jumped a breathtaking 3.61 meters to put the Women’s record out of reach.

Despite missing the bar on her next three attempts, Kawachi capped off her remarkable run as an Atenean pole vaulter with a historical gold medal performance.  

Meanwhile, in the final event of the day, Ateneo would form formidable squads to compete in the 4 x 100 relay. AWTFT members Louise Cabrera, Regalado, Jasha Tan, and Charlize Valencia raced towards an eighth-place finish with a time of 57.49 seconds. Their counterparts composed of Candelario, Carlos Dy, John Gotladera, and  Juan Ramirez garnered a sixth-place finish after completing the race in 43.78 seconds.

After day three’s proceedings, the Women’s team notched their first points of the competition with a total of 16.5 points. While the Men’s team increased their tally with a total of 12.5 points.

Vying for a better overall standing, both squads will be back in action later today in the same venue for day four of UAAP action.

Current Standings (Points and Gold-Silver-Bronze Medals)

Men’s:

1. UP – 184 (5-5-3)
2. NU – 181.5 (2-3-4)
3. AdU – 126 (2-2-3)
4. FEU – 124 (0-2-1)
5. UE – 113 (3-1-2)
6. UST – 76 (2-0-1)
7. DLSU – 22 (0-1-0)
8. Ateneo – 12.5 (0-0-0)

Women’s:

1. DLSU – 224 (4-4-5)
2. UST – 175 (4-3-3)
3. FEU – 175 (0-3-5)
4. UP – 125 (3-1-0)
5. UE – 85 (2-1-1)
6. NU – 58.5 (0-2-3)
7. AdU – 40 (1-1-0)
8. Ateneo – 16.5 (1-0-0)