With great confidence, two tracksters from the Cavite and Bicol Region are expected to finish with better times in the coming Palarong Palarong Pambansa 2025 in Ilocos Norte.
Middle distance runners Anthony Cariaso and Wenniel Simba said this following their gold-medal finishes in a recent athletics tourney.
The 17-year-old Cariaso, an incoming 12th grader at the University of the East, is seeking to dominate the secondary boys’ 800-meter and the 1500-meter this time around, seeing action for Bicol
Last year, Cariaso ended up fourth in the 800-meter run and seventh in the 1500-meter run during the Palaro games held in Cebu.
But after claiming the golds with better times in a recent athletics meet, Cariaso is upbeat of his chances against familiar faces, which include raining titlist Randy Degolacion of NCR in the 1500-meters and Erick Jay Pensahan (Region 10) in the 800-meter
“I will try again. Parang kaya ko,” said Cariaso, who competed in the men’s 18-under events, after he improved by five seconds in the 800-meter run with his gold-medal finish of 1:55.54, along with an 11-second jump in his clocking in the 1500-meters at 4:04.66
Simba, a 16-year-old standout from Dasmarinas, Cavite, hopes to do better than teammate Rain Mabailin, who placed fifth for two consecutive years in the secondary boys’ 2000-meter race walk of the Palarong Pambansa.
That’s after Simba dethroned Mabalin in the men’s 18-under 5000 meter race walk recently.
Simba’s clocking of 27 minutes and 27.04 seconds should mean something when he seeks a podium finish against University of Santo Tomas standout and defending Palaro winner Gabriel Cervantes.
Meanwhile, preparations for Ilocos Norte’s hosting of the Palarong Pambansa 2025 is already in full swing.
In a statement, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc said the province is ready to provide a memorable experience for the event’s 15,000 expected participants, composed of athletes, coaches, and officials.
While almost all the competition venues and billeting schools have been prepared, the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office has been enlisting residential houses in the province that can be offered as homestay for the tournament’s delegations.
The Palarong Pambansa 2025 is slated from May 24 to May 31.