Naga City tankers make waves

Naga City – Tankers Christine Grace Tan and Michaelmars Danila of host Naga City kept pounding it in at the pool as the two hiked their totals to nine gold medals even as Laguna inched closer to the overall championship yesterday in the second Philippine Olympic Festival Bicol Southern Tagalog qualifying leg at the Metro Naga Sports Complex here.

Tan, 14, ruled the 200m individual medley, 50m and 200m freestyle, 200m backstroke and 100m breaststroke gold medals while Danila, 19, topped the 200m IM, 200m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 200m backstroke and 200m breaststroke to close in on becoming the king and queen of medal-rich aquatics.

“I’ve trained hard for this, I’m always focused on winning,” said Tan, a member of the RP training pool and  studying and training at the Trace Computer School’s state-of-the-art aquatics center where the 23rd Southeast Asian Games’ water polo, diving and swimming competitions were held.

Danila, a computer engineering student at Ateneo de Naga here, said he’s giving it his best shot to have a name of his own just like his elder sister, former national team mainstay Liza Danila.

“I want to carve my own niche in swimming,” said Danila.

While Tan and Danila reigned supreme individually, Laguna struck as a team as it relied on its swimmers, taekwondo jins, arnis masters and gymnasts to remain atop the heap with 98 gold, 71 silver and 40 bronze medals with still several events in swimming and football unaccounted for.

Swimming continued to produce golden efforts for Laguna as it scooped  26 mints in the medal-rich sports including six apiece by Marvie Borja and Joshua Desamero.

Borja, 17, ruled the 50m, 100m, 200m and 800m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley for 15-and-above girls while Desamero, 14, topped the 200m and 400m IM, 50m, 100m and 1500m freestyle and 200m backstroke that pushed the Laguna tankers closer to ruling the pool competition.

Laguna also struck in arnis and taekwondo where it harvested 14 gold medals apiece while snaring eight more in gymnastics that solidified their grip of the top spot with several events in swimming and football still unaccounted for.

At press time, the Southern Tagalog power totaled 98 golds, 71 silvers and 40 bronzes to inch closer to fortifying its status as the best in the two regions in this meet backed by Naga City Mayor Jessie Robredo, Globe, The Philippine STAR, Villa Caceres, Philtranco, Accel, Asia Brewery, Negros Navigation, AMA Computer College and Creativity Lounge.

Cavite, which led in the first three days after a sterling performance in centerpiece athletics before fading in the next two, struck in taekwondo, arnis, gymnastics and karatedo to remain at distant second place with a 82-gold, 52-silver and 37-bronze medal haul.

Striking gold for Cavite were Aleksa Sara Alferez (feather), Christian Nable (boys 3), Cyrus Alejo (fin), Dean Alyssa Austria (light), Dian Rose Aquino (fin), Erika Jane Alvaran (light), Farah Regis (girls 3), Gerry del Rosario (welter), Jesil Arcino (fin), Jhalyn Mae Juanillo (girls 2), Joann Castillo (bantam), John Paul Garcia (bantam), Kerro Go (light), Leigh Anne Nuguid (fly), Mary Cheen Ellazar (light), Maryrose Benavente (girls 4), Princess Gladice Maranan (fin), R-Jay del Rosario (feather) and Trina Angelene Rivas (girls 1).

Jonalyn Hernandez, Perlina Lao, Jane Sibuyan and Jayson Lipaopao snatched three golds each to underscore Cavite’s triumph in indigenous arnis.

Danila’s spectacular performance kept Naga City at No. 3 with a 64-71-81 haul.