SOCSKSARGEN -- Swimming sensation Rizzie Dadal won two more events and completed her collection of seven gold medals, the most by any player, two days before the close of the nine-day Palaro ng Bayan yesterday.
Dadal's two-gold medal feat closed Negros Occidental's gold medal hunt in the League of Municipalities with 16, way ahead of closest rivals Misamis Occidental and Camarines Sur which managed eight and five golds, respectively.
The 13-year-old Negros Occidental Sports Association (NOSA) scholar topped the 200m individual medley for women and anchored her team to the 50m freestyle relay gold medal in their age bracket at the close of swimming competitions at the Acharon Sports Complex yesterday.
Dadal, who had trained daily for the games at the Sta. Fe resort in the outskirts of Bacolod City, clocked 2:56:33 for the 200m individual relay gold, followed by Ann Lucille Tibon (3:01:28) of Misamis Occidental and Mildred Macaranas (3:03:57) of Bicol.
She earlier installed herself the backstroke queen by winning the 50m, 100m and 200m events. She bagged her fourth and fifth gold medals on Thursday via the 50m freestyle and the medley relay.
"Gusto ko lang umuwi at manood ng TV," said the playful St. Benilde High School freshman when asked by reporters what she intends to do following her successful stint.
Negros coach Tessie Ongkiko said her team would take at least a week's rest before plunging to the pools again to prepare for the Palarong Pambansa slated in Lanao del Norte next month.
"I hope we can improve or duplicate our performance in the Palarong Pambansa. The competition there would surely be tougher but my wards are now very optimistic and confident," Ongkiko said.
With her seven-gold medal haul, Dadal virtually sealed the PnB's Top Athlete plum worth P50,000 from President Estrada. She is also set to receive P1,000 for each gold medal from Negros Occidental Councilor Rafael Cosculluela.
Other winners at the pool were Marisa Mahayhay of Camarines Sur (15-18 200m individual relay), Carlo Rodriguez of Davao Oriental (13-14 200m individual medley), Jay-ar Lacuna of Bulacan (15-18 200m individual medley), Sadik Nasser of Basilan (13-14 50m breaststroke), Ivan Luke Fernandez (15-18 50m breaststroke), Albert Pondoc of Misamis Occidental (13-14 50m backstroke) and Junwell Cestina of Albay (15-18) 50m backstroke).
In athletics, Flores Herlo of Mandaue City copped the triple jump (13-15 boys) at the South Cotabato Sports Complex in Koronadal town to raise his city's gold medal haul to seven. Naga's June Michael Clemente topped the hammer throw (13-15 boys) with a 30.84 meter heave while Makati City's 13-15 boys relay team clocked 46.1 seconds to bag the 4x100 meter relay gold.
In basketball, Davao City's men and women basketball teams bagged the championships over the Bacolod women's and men's teams in lopsided games almost marred by a free for all at the South Cotabato Gymnasium and Cultural Center.
As of yesterday, Cebu City still led in the gold medal race with 20, closely followed by Bacolod City with 18 and Iligan with13.
In the municipal-provincial division, Negros Occidental kept the top spot with 26 gold medals followed by Iloilo which has 16 and Camarines Sur with 10.