Lumapas shatters Palaro 400-m standard, Corpuz turns 'Flash Gordon' for SOX

By Mark Manez

BANTAY, Ilocos Sur -- A day after making a stunner in the race she is not used to playing, Jessel Lumapas broke a seven-year record in the race where she is most comfortable at.

The CALABARZON runner took the gold in the secondary girls 400-meter race in the Palarong Pambansa in record time at the Quirino Stadium on Thursday.

Lumapas came in first at 56.28 seconds, barely a second faster than the 57.33-second finish by erstwhile record holder Jenny Rosales, also from CALABARZON, in 2011.

Lumapas was way ahead of silver medalist Divina Mahusay of Bicol, who finished the race in 58.47 seconds.

Riza Vallente of Central Visayas came in third at 58.88 seconds to take the bronze.

Meanwhile, SOCCSKSARGEN's Kenneth Corpuz, turned 'Flash Gordon' to run away with the 400-m Secondary Boys gold medal.

Corpuz trudged an elite field and blitzed away with the time of 49.36 seconds, nearly breaking the 48.70 standard set by NCR's Jomar Udtohan in Laguna.

Alhryan Jay Labita of Eastern Visayas had to settle for silver after ticking 49.88 seconds in the full lap race.

Calabarzon's Veruel Verdadero denied Jims Ceballos of a bronze medal in the event by squeaking him by four hundredths of a second, 49.95 to Ceballos' 49.99.

(With a report from Ivan Saldajeno)

Follow him on Twitter: @MAManez_DPH16