THE ATENEO Track and Field (ATF) Teams delivered remarkable performances on the opening day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 88 Athletics Tournament. The competition began on November 6 at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
Collecting a total of two gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal, the Men’s Team got off to a fiery start, bringing home a total of 52 points at the end of the opening day. Meanwhile, Krisha Aguillon’s finals appearance led Ateneo to surpass their total point tally from last season with six points.
100m
To kick off the morning session, Aguillon stepped up to the track for the Women’s 100m event. Representing the Katipunan-based squad in the first qualifying heat, the second-year track star finished a respectable third with a time of 12.48 seconds. With this, the three-time Palarong Pambansa champion’s performance earned her a ticket to the finals with the sixth fastest overall time.
Later, Deyo Chung then took center stage, serving as the sole representative for Ateneo in the Men’s 100m dash. Also partaking in the first heat, the Blue Eagle finished sixth, equating to the 17th fastest time overall with a time of 12.05 seconds.
Despite replicating her record of 12.48 seconds, Aguillon came up less than a second short of beating the first overall’s 11.82 seconds, finishing fifth in the highly competitive finals race.
Hammer Throw (4KG)
In the next event, Yden Candelario and Ysa Letrondo bannered the Blue and White in the women’s Hammer Throw competition. Candelario placed 14th overall after throwing a distance of 30.23 meters, while Letrondo followed at 16th overall with a total distance of 24.11 meters.
800m
Making his collegiate debut, Hussein Loraña immediately etched his name in the history books after clocking in a record-breaking time of 1:51.76 to place first overall in the qualifying round. The prized rookie bested previous record-holder Neri Elbren’s 1:52.85 finish in 2014.
Meanwhile, last season’s gold medalist and Rookie of the Year Hassan Loraña ranked fifth in his heat with a time of 1:55.76. Placing seventh overall, the sprinter joined his brother in advancing to the finals.
Determined not to let their efforts go to waste, the Loraña twins sprinted with unrelenting speed as they eyed a podium finish in the final round. Capping off one of the most memorable debuts in the athletics tournament, Hussein Loraña bagged gold with a time of 1:52.71.
Improving on his previous time in the qualifying round, Hassan Loraña also took home the bronze medal after completing the race in 1:53.89.
Shotput (7.26Kg)
Looking to repeat last year’s success, Russel Ricaforte, Airex Villanueva, Doy Costelo, and Denver Tacay were set to don the Blue and White for the shot put.
From the get-go, Ricaforte exploded onto the scene, coming up just 0.01m short of breaking the UAAP record. Nevertheless, his efforts resulted in a gold medal finish after scoring a 14.92. Joining him on the podium was Villanueva, who managed to gain silver after notching a score of 13.53, sealing a 1-2 finish for the Blue Eagles.
Additionally, Tacay and Costelo also put up strong performances on their end. The former notched 14th with a score of 11.23, while the latter ended in 15th with an 11. score.
After getting on the board in points and medals, the ATF teams look to pile on the points as they return to the field for the second day of events, scheduled on November 7 at 7:45 AM in the same venue.
Men’s Standings – Points:
- UST Tiger Tracksters – 63
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 52
- FEU Tamaraws – 43
- UP Fighting Maroons- 36
- NU Bulldogs – 19
- AdU Soaring Falcons – 11
- DLSU Green Tracksters – 8
- UE Red Warriors – 0
Women’s Standings – Points:
- UST Lady Tracksters – 80
- FEU Lady Tamaraws – 61.5
- UE Lady Warriors – 49.75
- UP Fighting Maroons – 38
- AdU Lady Falcons – 26
- DLSU Lady Tracksters – 18.75
- NU Lady Bulldogs – 10
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 6
