Stephanie Cimatu

At least ten people texted me (including my sister) asking who Stephanie Cimatu. I myself wanted to ask myself that, having read "Manila Bulletin" after eating sinanglaw at Vigan Cimatu and saw her name. Thom P texted to say that she was the headline of their sports page. I bought PS Ngayon because they, too, have her in their banner.

From Tempo
Rain drenches Palaro
By CLYDE MARIANO
KORONADAL CITY — Rain came like a gift from heaven Friday, providing soothing relief for participants in the Palarong Pambansa.With temperature reaching 39 degrees, the 30-minute downpour was a welcome respite, although action was interrupted at the South Cotabato sports complex.
The sweltering heat has claimed the lives of two officials in the six-day old meet that has been a showcase of the National Capital Region athletes.

A 12-year-old farmer’s daughter from Ilocos Norte, however, drew the limelight away from Metro Manila when she smashed the meet record in the girls’ javelin throw.
Trained by one of the country’s greatest athletes, Stephanie Cimatu threw the spear in 38.53 meters, nearly four meters better than the nine-year-old standard held by Nina Malinao of Calabarzon.
Barely standing five feet, Cimatu accounted for one of four gold medals won by Ilocos Norte, an emerging force in athletics.
Cimatu is trained by many-time Southeast Asian Games champion Erlinda Lavandia, one of three trainers tapped by Ilocos Norte sports czar Michael Keon, former executive-director of Project: Gintong Alay.
"Masaya ako dahil nanalo ako at record pa," said a beaming Cimatu, who stands to receive P5,000 as cash reward coming from the Ilocos Norte provincial government.
Cimatu, a grade six pupil at Nagbalagan Elementary School in Bangui, placed sixth in the event last year in Naga City.

Here's Manila Times
Ilocos lass sets new javelin record
by Frank Calapre, Correspondent
KORONADAL CITY: Stephanie Cimatu of Ilocos Region set a new record Friday in the girls elementary javelin throw as defending champion National Capital Region virtually wrapped the overall title in the 2007 Palarong Pambansa at the South Cotabato Sports Complex here.
The 13-year-old Cimatu, a protégé of former Southeast Asian Games champion Erlinda Lavandia, poured it all in her fourth attempt for a record-breaking distance of 38.53 meters, way ahead of the old mark of 34.94 meters recorded by Nina Malinao of Calabarzon in Pili, Camarines Sur, in 1997.
“I thanked my coach [Lavandia] for this victory. Since she started training me, I improved a lot. She really wanted me to focus on breaking the record and not just to win,” said Cimatu in Filipino, who could only finished 5th in the same event last year in Naga City. Lavandia, the long-time SEA Games record holder in javelin, was hired by former Gintong Alay chief Michael Keon since last year to coach the Ilocos Norte athletics team.
Cimatu, a Grade 6 student, was the second athlete to establish a new record in athletics here after Maika de Oro of Western Visayas in the girls elementary discuss throw last Thursday.


Records fall as rains drop on Palaro
By Joey Villar
The Philippine Star 04/28/2007
KORONADAL City – Records fell as rain drenched the Palarong Pambansa here after a week of heat wave with a javelin thrower from the Ilocos Region producing the worthiest victory and the fancied National Capital Region capping its domination of the pool events at the South Cotabato Sports Complex here yesterday. Ilocos bet Stephanie Cimatu heaved the javelin to 38.53 meters in smashing the one-year-old elementary record of 34.94m set by Nina Malinao of Southern Tagalog A in Naga City on a day heavy rains somehow washed away memories of a sizzling, punishing week that claimed two lives and caused more than 300 heat-related cases. "I thank my coach for helping and training me for this event," said the 12-year-old Cimatu in Filipino, referring to former Southeast Asian Games javelin gold medalist Erlinda Lavandia.

5 Teeners Smash Records
by Peter Atencio
Manila Standard
KORONADAL City—A sudden but welcome downpour cooled down the weather at the South Cotabato Sports Complex here, but birthday girl Sabrina Ingrid Ilustre and four other gutsy teeners had more reasons to celebrate other than the rain.
The teeners went on a record-breaking spree as the Big City bets scooped eight of the 15 gold medals at stake on the final day of swimming competitions of the 2007 Palarong Pambansa.
Stephanie Cimatu, a 13-year-old sixth grader from Nagbalagan Elementary School in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, set a new mark when she heaved the spear to a distance of 38.94 meters in elementary girls’ javelin throw.
Cimatu broke the old mark on her third attempt, improving on the 34.94 m., which Niña Malinao of Calabarzon submitted last year in Naga City.

In our circle, this is known as cartel writing. Rain. Records. Cimatu. But BIG THANKS nonetheless from all the Cimatus in the world.