Swimmers sizzle as Niños soar

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – Team Cebu City's gold medal hunt shifted to high gear yesterday with its swimmers fishing out a dozen golds as the Niños pulled away with 18 golds, 16 silvers and eight bronzes after Day 2 of the 2010 Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) Meet here at the Lorenzo G. Teves Memorial Aqua Centre.

Host Dumaguete was a far second with seven gold, four silver and seven bronze medals, while Cebu Province lagged behind at third with a 3-8-6 gold-silver-bronze medal haul.

At the start of the medal-rich swimming competition, the Niños struck 12 golds, with Micahel Ichiro Kong and Lyh Ann Navarro tossing in two gilts apiece.

Kong topped the 200m individual medley (2:48.61) and the 50m backstroke (35.92sec) followed by his teammate Antonne Villahermosa in 37.71 seconds.

Navarro dominated the 400m freestyle with a 5:32.54 clocking and the 200m individual medley with the time of 2:54.92. Her comrade Karen Indaya had a silver finish in both events.

Madelin Capacio won the 50m backstroke in 38.05 seconds, while Navarro placed second in 39.44.

Kirk Tristan Ebon took home the boys crown after registering the time of 5:18.01, while Michael Sasedor turned over gold in 50m breaststroke in 41.70 seconds.

In the secondary division, Cynth Jhune Goden topped the 200m backstroke in 2:49.64, while John Michelson Beltran lorded it over in the 200m individual medley with the time of 2:36.69.

Anthony Navarro came out the fastest in the 200m backstroke, even as he also anchored the Niños to a golden finish in the 4x100m medley relay along with Ramsay Macawille, Brian Minerva and Cristante Veloso.

Again personifying teamwork, the Niños swam to a golden showing in the 4x100m freestyle relay behind the efforts of Maynard Sasedor, Israel Gabunada, Keith Ocampo and John Beltran.

In the distaff side, TCC dominated the 4x100 freestyle relay courtesy of Trina Caneda, Joyce Huguete, Kaitlin Capacio and Lorens Goyenechea.

In athletics staged at the Gov. Mariano Perdices Memorial Sports Complex, the Niños sustained their sterling performance, with Vlessica Jagna reigning supreme in the girls secondary 1, 500m run.

Adrian Medequillo claimed his second gold of the week-long sports conclave after ruling the secondary boys long jump event with a distance of 6.45m, beating his teammate Earl Romielle Salinas by a slim margin at 6.43m.

Jersell Cabatino chipped in gold in the high jump after clearing the bar the height of 1.8m.

Cebu Province, on the other hand, earned its two golds courtesy of Rowena Joy Roda in elementary girls 1,500m run and Arrianne Estan in the elementary girls discus throw. – THE FREEMAN