Mico Villaran of Bacolod City will be among the many athletes expected to shine in the 2023 Palarong Pambansa, organized by the Department of Education.
Villaran will seek three gold medals in athletics when the games for elementary and secondary student-athletes make a comeback after three years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Student athletes from 17 regions are taking part, with Villaran competing for medals in the secondary boys 110-meter run, the 400-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash.
The 15-year-old Villaran dominated the athletics competition of the Philippine Sports Commission-Batang Pinoy National Championships in Ilocos Sur with his three-gold sweep.
Hopefully, Villaran will be able to come to within range of the records made by Patrick Unso in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles, and Jomar Udtohan in the 200-meter dash.
Seven gold medals will be at stake when advanced competitions in athletics are held on the opening events of the 2023 Palarong Pambansa at the Philsports oval in Pasig on July 31.
Set to start at 8 a.m. are the elementary competitions of the pole vault and high jump events, while the secondary hostilities in both meets will be held in the afternoon, starting at 3 p.m.
Technical officials have adjusted the schedule since the track stadium inside the Marikina Sports Complex would not be able to accommodate all the events in athletics and the para games.
The venue, according to their studies, might be too small to handle the field events, which include pole vault and high jump.
With the adjustments done in the scheduling, organizers have slated the all the high jump and the pole vault competitions as a whole-day event at the Philsports field.
This year’s theme is “Batang Malakas, Bansang Matatag”.
Activities are being done under a new format as delegations will be clustered into four groups based on their geographical locations.
More than 9,000 student-athletes and officials from 17 regions are taking part
Vice President Sara Duterte, who also serves as DepEd secretary, joined Marikina City Mayor Teodoro, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann and DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas in the inspection of the facilities inside the Marikina Sports Center on Friday.