Pot of gold beckons Lago in HK, Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Figure skater Riana Patricia Villavicencio Lago gears up for two big events this month, including the Skate Hong Kong Championship and the Skate Manila competition with hopes of figuring prominently for top honors in both events.

The nine-year-old Lago, a multi-medaled Freestyle 4 figure skater, has racked up 54 medals, including 41 golds, in various local and international competitions in Singapore and the United States.

She last saw action in the Summerskate 2009 where she bagged 14 gold medals and two silvers and claimed the highest pointer award in her side of the event.

Daughter of former PBA cager Dwight Lago and Pia Villavicencio, Lago took up the sport at age seven and has blossomed to become one of the country’s most promising figure skaters through sheer hard work and dedication.

Under the tutelage of coaches Leonardo Aranton, Dale Feliciano, Ronan Capili and Ian Cruz, Lago trains four times a week for two hours at the SM Mall of Asia, which boasts of an Olympic-size rink and which provides Filipino skaters the venue where they could hone their talent and skills.

She actually started training with American coaches during school breaks and went on to complete the US Figure Skating Association Basic Skills program.

The skating prodigy, granddaughter of restaurateur and sportfisherman Vicvic Villavicencio, has competed in five local events and four international tournaments, including the Skate Singapore 2007, the ISI World Recreational Team Championships 2008 in Denver, Colorado, the Sun Valley Summer Competition last July and the ISI World Recreational Team Championship 2009 in San Jose, California.

Aside from winning 14 golds in the recent Summerskate, Lago also captured five golds in the Sun Valley Summer Competition, and collected six golds and three bronze medals in the ISI World Recreational Team Championships in the US wherein she was featured on the Philippine News, a local publication in San Jose.

At present, Lago is undergoing a cross-training at B+B at the Fort for pilates and Melanie Motus for ballet lessons to further polish her craft and bring more honors to the country.