THE ATENEO Track and Field (ATF) Team kicked off their campaign at the 2025 Philippine Athletics Championships with brilliant performances, including a gold medal finish in the Men’s Discus Throw event.

The opening day of the tournament was held yesterday at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.

Discus Throw

Following his record-setting debut in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), newly-minted Team Captain Russel Ricaforte captured another gold medal in the national tilt.

Ricaforte proved why he was dubbed as the “Man with the Golden Arm” by utilizing his Herculean strength to tally a distance of 47.17 meters. The result bested the 47.06 meter record of Philippine National Team member Ed Delina, consequently earning him first place–an impressive feat for the two-league collegiate champion who continues to collect accolades in the event.

His result also bolsters the possibility of his inclusion in the national team for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

Also representing Ateneo in the athletic event were Airex Villanueva and Denver Tacay. Villanueva finished seventh after covering 38.00 meters, while Tacay placed 14th with a distance of 34.07 meters.

Decathlon

In his first of several events in the opening day, decathlete Chonel Okolo bannered the Blue Eagles in the first heat of the competition’s 100m event. Racing against five other sprinters, Okolo finished in third with a time of 11.64 seconds.

Flexing his athletic versatility, Okolo also competed in the Shot Put tournament, where he finished fifth out of the round’s 12 competitors. Tallying a throw distance of 8.54 meters, the 18-year-old Atenean finished a considerable 0.47 meters ahead of sixth.

Okolo also vaulted to a respectable seventh-place finish in the Long Jump event, leaping past Xian Ashlei Bautista by a narrow margin. The rookie attempted to ride that momentum into the High Jump event, but failed by 0.06 meters to land in ninth.

Capping off his busy day with fireworks, Okolo clocked in a time of 55.38 seconds in the 400m event. The Blue Eagle’s output firmly placed him at first in his heat and fifth overall in the race.

Following a golden day by Ricaforte and the Blue Eagles, the ATF aims to sustain their form on the oval with more events lined up over the next three days at the same venue.