After shattering the 1991 record in 1,500 meters on Thursday, 17-year-old long distance runner Joida Gagnao from Guimaras broke another Palaro mark yesterday in this year's Palarong Pambansa in Dumaguete City with her impressive mark in secondary girls' 3,000 meters.

Gagnao of Barangay Old Poblacion, Buenavista, Guimaras finished the 3,000-meter race in 10 minutes and 22.6 seconds to erase the 10:34.1mark set by teammate Joneza Mae Sustituedo in last year's competition in Lingayen, Pangasinan

Sustituedo's performance last year eclipsed the 10:40.68 record of Mary Jane Campos of Bacolod City in 2000.

Gagnao, a sophomore student of Buenavista National High School , is the seventh in the family of nine and lives with her mother and her siblings after their father Antonio, a fisherman, died.

Gagnao is the second athlete from the island-province of Guimaras, next to Olympian Rene Herrera, who excels in the Palarong Pambansa. Herrera also dominated the 3,000 meters in the 1995 national games.

Gagnao joins teammate Angelica De Josef and Renz John Gemolaga in the list of this year's Palaro record breakers from the region.

Josef excelled in secondary girls' 800-meter run by clocking 2:17.2 to break the Palaro record of Dely Condes (2:18.3 seconds) set in 1995 in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

Gemolaga won third place in secondary boys' javelin throw (55.1 meters) but he reset last year's Palaro record of Danilo Abarra (51.51 meters) from Ilocos Region.*PNA

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