Boholano distance runner shatters 27-year-old Palaro record

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte – Records kept falling on the second day of the 65th Palarong Pambansa here at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium.

In athletics, Jhul Ian Cañalita of Central Visayas clocked in 15 minutes and 16.31 seconds in the secondary boys 5000-meter run to set a new Palaro record.

Cañalita, who hails from Bohol, erased the previous record of 15:38.4 set by Cresencio Cabal of Southern Mindanao in the 1998 Palaro in Bacolod City.

This was redemption for Cañalita after settling for a silver medal in the same event in last year's Palaro in Cebu City.

"I practiced twice a day. I do pull ups and speed work and we also did endurance training," Cañalita said.

Meanwhile, in swimming, Reinielle Jan Miko Trinidad shattered the boys 13-18 50m butterfly event after clocking in 25.23 seconds.

The swimmer from CALABARZON erased the previous record of 25.25 seconds set by TJ Amaro in last year’s Palaro in Cebu City.

As of 2:43 p.m., the National Capital Region leads the overall medal tally with 16 golds, 10 silvers and three bronze medals thanks to gymnastics and swimming.

Meanwhile, CALABARZON sits in second place with a 12-13-7 gold-silver-bronze medal tally while Western Visayas sits in third place with seven golds, five silvers, and seven bronze medals.