Manila dominates MYG swimming

Host Manila scooped 21 more gold medals in swimming yesterday as it virtually clinched the overall championship with one more day left in the first MY Games National Invitational at the Rizal pool.

Ingrid Illustre and Tessa Alcantara won two gold medals each to underscore the Big City bets’ domination of the week-long event. Manila has so far compiled a total of 45 gold medals in swimming alone.

Illustre, 10, topped the 200-meter freestyle and 100-m breaststroke girls 10-and-under while Alcantara, 15, ruled the 50-m butterfly and 100-m breaststroke to become the meet’s first quadruple gold medallists.

Illustre copped the 50-m breaststroke and 200-m Individual Medley gold medals on Day 1 while Alcantara’s earlier victories came in the 50-m breaststroke and freestyle in this event presented by Globe, Pagcor, San Miguel, PAL, SuperFerry, Milo, Unilever, Speedo, Red Bull, Land Bank, Isuzu Manila, IntraSport and Concept Movers.

Also contributing to Manila’s golden harvest were Gian Berino (10-under 200-free) and Maxim Quilala, who both picked up two gold medals apiece to lead the triple gold medal group.

Berino, 10, reigned supreme in the 10-and-under 200-m freestyle and 50-m butterfly while Quilala, 14, outclassed the field in the 13-14 200-m freestyle and 200-m backstroke. Berino’s first gold came in the 100-m butterfly while Quilala got his in the 100-m backstroke.

Laguna, for its part, hauled seven gold medals in swimming and three in athletics over at the UST makeshift tracks to remain at distant second place.

Julius Rarela notched his third gold medal by topping the 13-14 50-m butterfly while Ma. Cecili Constantino won the 200-m dash for 13-15 girls.

Constantino copped the 200-m dash with a time of 26.9 seconds to complete a sprint double and join the elite quadruple gold medal group. Her earlier triumphs were in the century dash, 400-m and 4x400-m relay.

Laguna’s other source of the gold medals came from Jasmine Chaves (16-17 200-m) and Angel Balatibat (12-and-under 50-m and 200-m dash).

Meanwhile, action in taekwondo unfurls today at the San Andres Sports and Civic Center with a total of 56 gold medals at stake.