Umingan student sets new record in Palaro’s 2000m walk
UMINGAN—A Grade 10 student from Umingan National High School clinched the first gold medal for Region 1 delegation in the 2000-meter walk event and set a new record on the second day of Palarong Pambansa in Vigan City on April 17.
Seventeen-year-old Francis James San Gabriel broke last year’s record of 10 minutes, 11 seconds set by a member of the National Capital Region (NCR) team with his new record of 9 minutes, 33 seconds.
“It was awesome. I was overjoyed. I can hardly explain my feelings,” San Gabriel said, and dedicated his win to his mother, Marivic San Gabriel, who works as a hotel staff in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
He said his mom cried on the phone when he called her about his win and new record.
He beat the athlete from NCR with his last big step to the finish line.
Success in Palarong Pambansa didn’t come easy and instant to San Gabriel. He has never won an event since he started joining local competitions while in Grace 7. “It was hard, [I was] always a loser,” he said.
He earned his first medal, a bronze, in Grade 8. In Grade 9, his best in a major event was sixth place. But that only pushed him further and trained hard to succeed. He was not disappointed.
He fulfilled his dream this year—a gold in the Palaro at that.
His coach, Francisco Balbiran, said in a separate interview that he is so proud of San Gabriel because it’s his first in Palaro and he won a gold medal for the province and the region.
San Gabriel has collected more than 20 medals in his field in local tournaments.
He said as a child, he had always dreamed of being an athlete having watched the school’s athletes train in their school and set off to other places to compete.
He and his elder brother are under the care of couple Ernesto and Erlinda Nastor who are their mom’s aunt and uncle, respectively. He said they have no more communication with their father. (Eva Visperas)
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