Dalay, Echavez hailed top athletes with 7-gold hauls

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Calabarzon’s Jaevico Dalay and Lorendale Echavez of Central Visayas capped their respective campaigns with a flourish Monday to emerge as the top swimmers and most bemedalled athletes of the PRISAA Collegiate National Games here.

At the close of action at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex pool, Dalay and Echavez each had seven golds apiece – five individual and two relays – in copping most outstanding honors in the men’s and women’s division of the three-day swimming meet.

A hotel and tourism sophomore at La Salle-Dasmariñas, Dalay hooked three more golds with victories in the men’s 400 free (4:48.93), 200 individual medley (2:27.21) and 4x200 free relay. He also won a bronze medal after the Region 4-A tankers placed third in the 4x100 IM.

Echavez, on the other hand, provided the day’s drama in matching Dalay’s seven golds by anchoring Central Visayas to a riveting come-from-behind win in the women’s 4x200 women’s freestyle relay, the last contest in swimming.

Trailing Region 4-A’s anchor woman Cherilyn Jurado by 15 meters, Echavez blasted off from the blocks and steadily gained on the frontrunner to eventually overhaul her rival in the final 50-meter turn as Central Visayas won with plenty to spare (10.19.3). The Calabarzon tankers settled for the silver (10.23.56).

The University of San Carlos standout earlier topped the 400 free (4:55) and did Dalay one better with seven golds plus a silver in 4x100 freestyle relay, on of top breaking five individual meet records in the 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 free events.

She was also a major factor in Central Visayas setting new standards in the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays in the sports showcase sponsored by Globe, Nature’s Spring mineral water, Bombo Radyo and Zamboanga Apparel.

“I’ll save my winnings and use it for a small business I want to put up in the future,” said Dalay, whose mom is a doctor at La Salle-Dasma and father an engineer, of the P7,500 in cash incentives – P1,000 for each gold and P500 for the bronze – he earned for his feats.