Pangasinan’s best athletes of 2011

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

SORRY guys if you missed my column last week. I was not able to beat The PUNCH deadline which fell on a Thursday (December 29), not remembering that the following day was Dr. Jose Rizal’s day, a national holiday. My topic was supposed to have been about the best Pangasinan athletes in 2011, as far as their national and international performances are concerned. If you guys are really sports lovers and followed the accomplishments of our local athletes, I believe you already know who they are.

I have selected three. Let’s start with an international accomplishment, and there is only one athlete that achieved that. That is no other than the woman boxer, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight (122 lbs.) champion Ana Julaton. Julaton, nicknamed “The Hurricane” after capturing her second world title from Mexico’s Maria Elena Villalobos, successfully defended her diadem against Villalobos’ compatriot Jessica Villafranca on October 2, 2011 at her opponent’s own turf in Yucatan, Mexico. The San Francisco, California-born (July 5, 1980) five-foot-five lass whose parents were from barangay Villegas, Pozorrubio named Cesario Julaton and Ahmelia Bonifacio, is the only Filipino-American pugilist (so far) to win the super bantamweight tiara. Latest report says her promoter is working out a Manila venue for her second title defense this year. Hopefully it will push through. Julaton is being trained by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, the trainer of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.

Second in my card is cyclist Alfie Catalan, a native of barangay Cabacaraan, San Manuel who won a gold medal during the 26th Southeast Asia Games (SEA) held in Jakarta, Indonesia last November. The five-foot-eleven Catalan, 29, topped the four-kilometer individual pursuit race in the track event, his forte in velodrome racing. He also won the gold of this same event during the 2005 and 2007 SEA Games. Unfortunately, Catalan was not able to compete during the 2009 meet because of the leadership dispute in PhilCycling, the national governing body of cycling.

My third choice is professional cyclist Santy Barnachea who became the second three-time (after me) national cycling champion from Pangasinan by surprisingly conquering the 12-day pro-am LBC Ronda Pilipinas Tour last October. The race started in Cagayan de Oro City and ended in the City of Pines. Barnachea, 36, from barangay Esperanza, Umingan also won the four-day Tour de Calabarzon in 2002 and the 2006 Padyak Pinoy Tour.

Even though the Mayans calendar say 2012 is a fearful year because according to them it’s the year of doomsday (I don’t believe it, please read the Good Book), it looks like 2012 will be a bright year for Pangasinan as well as for our local bets when the province hosts the 2012 Palarong Pambansa tentatively slated on May 6-12 at Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center. Thanks to Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. The other good news is the successful campaign of eight-year old boy named Dennis Gutierrez III, a chess whiz kid from San Fabian. He broke the ice of the year in international competitions by winning the eight-year old and below category of the Singapore International Chess Festival on New Year’s day. I believe a star is born and a champion is in the making. We should be proud of him. Mabuhay ka Dennis and wishing you all the best in 2012.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her. EPHESIANS 5: 22-25

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