ILOCOS NORTE – Jhul Ian Cañalita etched his name in the history books after breaking a record that has been standing since 1998.
The 16-year-old runner from Central Visayas ruled the secondary boys’ 5000m race in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa by clocking in 15 minutes and 16.31 seconds on Tuesday at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
With the feat, Cañalita broke a 27-year-old record set by Cresencio Cabal, who registered 15 minutes and 38.4 seconds almost three decades ago in Bacolod.
Elmer Dizon of Cagayan Valley claimed the silver with 15:22.91 while Western Visayas’ Welmer Jeck Labrador claimed the bronze with 15 minutes and 25.84 seconds.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News