PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – The two-year wait for a Palarong Pambansa the gold ended here for Sharmaine Joy Bucaling of Western Visayas.

The 18-year-old Bucaling, a silver medalist in Naga in 2006 and bronze winner in Koronadal last year, finally struck gold early Monday when she ruled the secondary girls’ javelin throw at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex.

Bucaling of Dingle town, Iloilo flung the spear to a distance of 33.95-meters to beat the host Mimaropa’s Richelda Pepito (32.09m) and Bicol’s Jancell Candelaria (31.86m).

“It’s about time I won this event,” Bucaling, who is set to take up Marine Engineering at Western Institute of Technology in Iloilo City, said.  “I never lost hope and never stopped trying”.

“She’s very determined and focused,” Bucaling’s coach Gilbert dela Cruz said of his ward, who is also entered in shotput and discus throw.

Bucaling’s teammate Ralph Gesulgon completed a sweep of secondary javelin to allow Western Visayas to gain the headstart in the athletics hostilities.

The Miag-ao, Iloilo native threw 49.59m to win the gold over John Paul Chinuana of Cagayan Valley (48.22m) and Banjo Samson of Northern Mindanao (47.47m)

Adding strength to Western Visayas’ campaign on Day One of the annual sports conclave organized by the Department of Education and

Ten minutes after Bucaling’s victory, the limelight fell on Central Luzon’s Michael Calayo, who retained his secondary boys’ long jump crown.

The 17-year-old Victoria, Tarlac-born athlete registered a 6.98m leap, better than his 6.60m effort when he won the same event in Koronadal. His leap, though, was way short of the 7.15m Palaro mark of Paulo Martinez of Southern Tagalog, who established the record in 2002 in Naga City.

Settling for the silver was Calabarzon’s Ariel Magayon (6.65m), while the bronze went to Ramjay Carado of Davao Region (6.47m).

Three athletics golds were still being contested as of press deadline.

National Capital Region, the defending overall champion, flexed its muscles in ballgames, rolling over ARMM, 91-39, in secondary basketball and Cagayan Valley, 11-1, in girls’ softball.

The Big City spikers smashed perennial rival Western Visayas, 25-23, 25-22, in boys’ volleyball at the RMSC court.

Secondary baseball action saw Calabarzon blanking ARMM, 10-0, and Bicol edging CAR, 6-5. Cagayan Valley drubbed Eastern Visayas, 7-0 in secondary football.

Posting the most convincing win in elementary baseball was Ilocos, which overpowered Eastern Visayas, 17-5. Other opening-day winners were Caraga, 2-0 winner over Car and Cotabato, which scored an 11-1 toppling of Davao.

Zamboanga prevailed over Ilocos, 27-29, 26-24, 25-11 in elementary boys’ volleyball to join CAR, a 27-25, 25-21 winner over Cagayan Valley, in the victory column.

In elementary basketball, Coatabato dumped Mimaropa, 71-49, while Northern Mindanao upset Western Visayas, 63-52. Northern Mindanao also won its first match in elementary football, where it whitewashed Ilocos, 11-0.*Media Center

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