LEA Denise Belgira and Eleazar Barba Jr. lived up to expectations Sunday by ruling the Women and Men Elite categories of the PhilCycling Mountain Bike National Trials for Downhill in Barangay Sandayong Sur in Danao City, Cebu.
Belgira remained queen of Philippine MTB downhill by bagging the Women Elite gold medal, negotiating the 850-meter International Cycling Union-grade course in one minute and 29.164 seconds.
Belgira, the 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist riding out of Guimaras, was a good 2.023-second winner over Naomi Gardoce, who settled for the silver. Jade Nicole Baleta bagged the bronze, finishing 29.289 seconds back.
Barba clocked 1:13.593 to rule the Men Elite class of the trials organized by the PhilCycling under its chairman Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez and through the auspices of the Danao City Sports Commission.
Barba clinched the silver in the 2019 SEA Games at the Tatlong Bungo course in Laurel, Batangas, but the gold medalist, Jerich Farr, was slightly off his elements and settled for the bronze medal this time in 1:15.671. Emmanuel Torregoza Cabalquinto snatched the silver in 1:15.175.
“Our national athletes proved they are in top shape despite the difficulties in training because of the pandemic,” Rodriguez said. “And we are all happy that MTB is alive despite all the safety protocols.”
The PhilCycling, headed by Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, also the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, conducted national trials in MTB crosscountry-Olympic also in Danao City in June and Road in Clark in July.
The 1-2-3 finishers in the other categories were Gwen Hanah Barba, Samantha Rem Yuson and Alexa Ysabel Barba in the Women 16-below; Khim Catalbas, Renselle Abada and Ray Gabriel Arat in the Men 16-below; Mark Hector Medenilla, Adrian Nino Villanueva and Wendell Barna in Men Master A; and Frederick Farr, Jonathan Verga and Leopoldo Ocampo in Men Master B.
