CAGAYAN DE ORO – Wrestlers Gilbert Ombao and Ariel Samadio ruled their respective divisions as Laguna fought off Gen. Santos final day challenge to capture the overall championship in the third Philippine Olympic Festival National Championships at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Complex here yesterday.
Ombao topped the 84kg division of Greco-Roman while Samadio reigned in the 96kg class of freestyle for the last two golds of Laguna, which led from start to finish en route to a six-day haul of 57 gold, 25 silver and 36 bronze medals.
Laguna, with less than a hundred delegation, would have ended up with more medals but those won by UP-Los Baños, located in Laguna, were counted separately.
But it hardly mattered as the Bicol and Southern Tagalog Qualifying Games champion had built enough cushion to hold off General Santos City and Zamboanga City, the top two finishers in the Mindanao leg in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
General Santos settled for second place with a 46-30-29 (gold-silver-bronze) tally while Zamboanga came up with a strong finish to jump from eighth to third spot with a 40-26-25 total.
Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno and POF chair Robert Aventajado were on hand during the closing rites of the event which served as the Philippine Olympic Committee’s talent identification and sports development program.
Laguna dominated the medal-rich swimming event to seize control in the early going, sustained its pace with victories in athletics before picking up crucial wins in other events to emerge victorious in one of the tightest races for the overall title.
Eleven-year-old swimmer Ariana Herranz, the most bemedalled athlete with eight golds, and former Palarong Pambansa multiple gold winner 16-year-old Banjo Borja, who had seven golds, stood at the vanguard of Laguna’s successful campaign.
Zamboanga City shone in martial arts as it won 15 golds in wrestling and five in karatedo to sail past five delegations, including dethroned champion Manila, to snatch third place in the event backed by Globe, Pagcor, Philippine Sports Commission, AMA Computer University, Summit Natural Drinking Water, Accel, Negros Navigation, The Philippine STAR and Creativity Lounge.
Baguio City, which topped the Northern and Central Luzon legs, closed out with 16 golds in archery, eight in wrestling and five in karatedo to clinch No. 4 with a 38-40-40 aggregate.
Manila, which dominated last year’s National Finals, struggled to finish fifth with a 36-30-16 haul.