Colas leads Baguio breakaway

MANILA, Philippines — Archer Chass Mhaiven Nawew Colas was on target with four gold medals as Baguio City closed in on a fourth straight overall championship in the Batang Pinoy national finals yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.

Colas, 14, ruled the male 15-under 60-meter recurve and the 1440-round recurve for yet another gold rush after previously winning the 30-meter and 40-meter recurve events to banner Baguio’s crucial pull away in the final stretch of the six-day competition here.

A former swimmer that was forced to shift to archery due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Colas said it was an unlikely supremacy only in his second Batang Pinoy stint also marked by a lone silver in the 50-meter recurve.

“Hindi po ako nag-expect. Basta naglaro lang ako at nag-enjoy,” said the Baguio City National High School standout.

Colas did, hitting bull’s eyes one after another to best the entire competition as the most bemedaled ace in archery. In fact, he has a chance to tie gymnast Karl Eldrew Yulo, with seven golds, as the winningest in all of Batang Pinoy with three remaining events in Olympic round, mixed and team events.

His masterclass in archery provided a big lift for Baguio, which then put on the telling blows in pet combat sports events like poomsae and judo to create what seemed a comfortable lead pending the final medal tally of the 25-sport event of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).