Laguna completes title romp

NAGA CITY – Batangas’ Christine Grace Tan scooped three more gold medals in the pool over the weekend to become the most bemedalled athlete with 12 even as Laguna ran away with the overall championship in the second Philippine Olympic Festival Bicol Southern Tagalog Leg at the Metro Naga Sports Complex here.

Tan, 14, sustained her form and ruled the 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200m breaststroke in victories that came after she dominated the 50m, 100m, 200m and 800m free, 100m and 200m backstroke, 100m breaststroke and 200m and 400m individual medley.

The tall, long-limbed Lipa City lass thus became the toast of the rain-marred leg backed by Naga City Mayor Jessie Robredo, The Philippine STAR, Globe, Asia Brewery, Accel, Negros Navigation, Villa Caceres, Philtranco, AMA Computer College and Creativity Lounge.

 “I’m just happy I achieved my goal,” said Tan.

But it was Laguna, which took  overall championship as it won seven more gold medals in aquatics at the close of the fifth and final qualifying leg of the talent-search culminating in the national finals next month at the Rizal sports complex.

Banjo Borja, Joshua Desamero and Marvie Borja each won a pair of gold medals while the team of Julie delas Alas, Grace Cervantes, Althea Belen and Margot Mabanta ruled the 200-meter medley relay for 13-14 years old as Laguna wound up with a 39-gold medal haul.

Borja topped the 200m breaststroke and the 400m freestyle for 15-and-above boys, Desamero ruled the 100m butterfly and 400m free for 13-14 years old while Borja reigned supreme in the 100m butterfly and 400m free for 15-and-above girls to underscore Southern Tagalog’s domination in the event.

While Tan came away with the most number of gold medals, diminutive nine-year-old tankers Renzo Oliver Baja of Batangas and Catherin Bondad of Laguna produced the worthiest performance.

Baja posted triple A swims in the 200m IM, 100m back, 50m free, 100m breaststroke and 50m butterfly while Bondad, who hails from San Pablo, clocked impressive times in the 200m IM, 100m back, 50m free and 100m breaststroke..

Host Naga City, for its part, leaned on swimmer Michaelmars Danila, its gymnasts, taekwondo jins, archers and arnis masters to grab second place from Cavite with an 87-89-92 haul.