ZAMBOANGA CITY – Three hardy taekwondo jins from Negros Occidental yesterday proved to be the saving grace for a sputtering Western Visayas campaign in the National Private Schools Athletic Association Games here.

Middleweight Catherine Samonte of Riverside College claimed a third straight gold medal, while John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation standouts Rubylyn Mapa and Crystal Pauline Reyes captured back-to-back titles in the featherweight and finweight divisions, respectively.

On a day when the Region 6 contingent cornered 21 golds, Samonte, Mapa and Reyes stood out at the Ateneo De Zamboanga Gym.

Samonte, an incoming Nursing senior, beat three opponents, capping her dominance with a 4-1 victory over a Central Visayas bet.

Mapa, a junior Hotel and Restaurant Management student, had an easier path to the gold medal, posting similar 7-0 triumphs over Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Cotabato, before winning the crown over Caraga, 7-1.

In contrast, Reyes, who, along with Mapa received instructions from coach Jimjim Chua over the phone since the JBLCF mentor could not make it on time due to flight delays, was pushed to the limit by her finals foe from Davao.

Turning her game up a notch when it mattered, Reyes forced the Davao bet to retreat with her aggressive style in the second round, prompting the judges to slap her opponent with a one-point deduction that turned out to be the winning margin in a 2-1 victory. Reyes earlier scored comprehensive wins over Calabarzon, 7-0; Cotabato, 7-0, and Central Luzon, 4-2. 

Those wins failed to shake the medal standings, though, as NCR, buoyed by victories in swimming and athletics, stayed on top with 26 golds. Western Visayas is in second with three golds and 26 silvers.

In the team event of men's table tennis, Western Visayas, bannered by University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos players Seigfred Tupas and Timothy Tanque, settled for the silver, after bowing to defending champion Central Visayas, 2-1.

The women's team, led by St. La Salle's Ruby Ann Longno, also finished second behind Davao.

In athletics, USLS' Harold Juarez lost his discus throw crown, finishing second with a 33.80m heave.

Another La Sallian, swimmer Michele Petero won a silver when the region 6 4x50m medley squad checked in second behind NCR. Petero earlier snatched the bronze in the 200m fly.*CPT

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