Runner Jardin cops two golds at the start of ROTC Games

Kent Francis Jardin took the limelight at the start of the 2023 ROTC Games National Championships on Monday, Oct. 23, after clinching two gold medals in athletics at the Philsports Track Oval in Pasig City.

Jardin, a 19-year-old student from Adamson University representing Navy, bested the field by ruling the men’s 200 meters for the tournament’s first gold medal before returning with his teammates and reigning supreme in the men’s 4x100m.

The UAAP standout timed 22.07 seconds for the individual gold, edging UCV’s John Andrei Ponce and WVSU’s Peter Molina, who clocked 22.78sec and 23.02sec for silver and bronze, respectively.

Jardin actually ran slower in the morning heats when he came in third with 22.8sec.

Half an hour later, Jardin joined forces with teammates Denmark Dalunes, Ralph Anthony Lego and Alexander Padilla in winning the relay with a time of 43.29sec.

Designated as the second runner in the team, Jardin showed no signs of slowing down as he pulled away from his rivals on their way to a dominating finish over eventual silver medalists CAVSU (46.51sec) and UNO-Recoletos (46.62sec).

“Masaya po ako at naipanalo kop o itong mga events ko,” said Jardin, who also excelled in triple jump.

Also sharing the limelight were University of the Philippines’ Josie Inemedo, who ruled the women’s 200m in 26.64sec and the UNO-Recoletos team of Marla Jean Bacaro, Ciara Largavista, Jeazel Talaver and Angelica Bacaro in the women’s 4x100m relay (55.50sec).

In boxing, Army fighters flexed their might after winning their opening bout assignments inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC).

Joelen Efondo won over Air Force’s Jomar Olisa via a second-round technical knockout in the 48-51kg flyweight class even as Alfred Deslate won by points over Air Force’s Love Heart Marino in the 51-54kg bantam division.

Mark Paul Hernandez also shone with a 4-1 triumph over Navy’s John Laurence Noquiera in the 51-54kg bantam class, Florence Sumpay also prevailed over Navy’s Glen Mark Villagracia, 4-1, in the 57kg feather division, and Rodrigo Lumogda dominated Air Force’s Nelvin Francis Arce, 5-0, also in the 57kg feather class.

Air Force’s Eric Baron also joined early winners after thumping teammate Ranie Camangian, 5-0, in the 57kg feather.

Volleyball hostilities also started at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) gym with Jose Rizal Memorial State University sweeping Tarlac State University, 25-22, 25-18, 25-23, and University of Cagayan Valley surviving Guimaras State University, 25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 17-15.

Meanwhile, arnis and kickboxing competitions fire off on Tuesday, Oct. 24, also inside the RMSC.