BMX freestylist Armand Mariano — ARMAND MARIANO OFFICIAL FB
A FAMILY of bicycle motocross (BMX) freestylists dominated on Sunday’s PhilCycling’s National Championships in Tagaytay City.
Meet the Marianos — father Armand, son Guetler and daughter Asianity.
The 18-year-old Guetler and the 43-year-old Armand finished 1-2 in the men’s competition with scores of 99.18 and 96.10 points, respectively, while 19-year-old Asianity stamped her class in the women’s section with 94.80 points.
The Marianos would have performed better in the finals had the afternoon deluge did not force officials to cancel it and relied on qualification round results instead.
There was no question though that the Marianos were too dominant and could be the country’s bets in the sport that is part of the Olympic calendar.
“Too bad the rain fell, but these championships will kickstart BMX competitions, an Olympic event,” said PhilCycling and Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino.
“We envision BMX [racing and freestyle] as a sport where Filipinos could potentially excel in,” he added.
Paulo Diaz, Jr. tired to challenge the Marianos but ended up snaring the bronze in the men’s with 95.10 points.
Rhea Marie Aldamar was just glad to finish second behind Asianity with a 77.40.
Georich Cardino and Angelina de Guzman reigned supreme in the flatland with 66.005 and 51.30, respectively.
Filipino-American Daniel Caluag is an illustrious BMX racing athlete with a stint at the London 2012 and a gold medal — the country’s lone mint — at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games.
He missed the nationals because of his commitment as a registered nurse in the US.
Tagaytay City will host the Asian BMX Championships, a multi-nation continental competition, next year.
Expect the Marianos to be there also. — Joey Villar
