A STUDENT runner from Western Institute and Technology (WIT) captured Region 6s first gold medal in the 2019 National Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) on opening day, May 21.
Ezel Divinagracia of Concepcion, Iloilo toppled the competition in the women’s 400m hurdles for a gold medal finish.
According to her mentor Noel Diel, Ezel is a runner by heart.
“I’ve been guiding her since she was in Grade 7. One of her remarkable feats was during her stay at Iloilo National High School (INHS) where she received numerous medals in different competitions,” he added.
Winning was never a problem for Divinagracia as she was a gold medalist in the 2016 Palarong Pambansa in Legazpi, Albay.
Ezel is the daughter of Elma and Joemy Divinagracia, who have been her biggest supporters ever since she joined athletics.
Before playing in the 2016 Philippine National Games (PNG), she was also a perennial attention-grabber in various local running events. She won gold medal in 400m hurdles and Milo Little Olympics tournaments.
She is also a Batang Pinoy silver and bronze medalist in the same events. She is also a gold and a silver medalist in the PNG-Visayas held in Antique on November 2015.
The 19-year-old student athlete told the Daily Guardian that she could not contain her happiness after winning the gold medal – a first after years of competing in PRISAA.
“Grabe gid ang akon kalipay kay nakuha ko man gid ang gold medal. All my hard work really paid off. I would like to thank my coaches and teammates for giving me the courage to compete again and be on top of the podium,” she added.
In the ball games, Western Visayas secondary boys’ basketball represented by Hercor College Jaguars pulled off their first win at the expense of Region 12, 77-60.
Bacolod Tay Tung High School (BTTHS) volleyball team also won their second match against Region 9 in two sets, 25-8 25-9.
