Cebu completes Batang Pinoy Visayas romp

MANILA, Philippines - Cebu City ruled lawn tennis, swimming and boxing to capture the overall championship in the Batang Pinoy Visayas qualifying leg in Dumaguete City.

Two Cebuano fighters came away with contrasting victories to bag the gold medals while Cebu’s swimmers and netters dominated their regional rivals to anchor the team’s title romp.

Cebu City wound up with 52 golds, 37 silvers and 31 bronzes to emerge the overall champion in the Visayas qualifying leg. Bacolod City had 34 golds, 18 silvers and 23 bronzes for second while Dumaguete City grabbed 27 golds, 23 silvers at 27 bronzes.

Junrel Jimenez, a 15-year-old second year student in Abellano National High School, beat Albino Tihuk Jr. of Sipalay in just 48 seconds for a referee-stopped contest victory in the 46kg light pinweight division.

“I dream to fight in the Olympics and win a gold medal,” said Jimenez in Filipino after posting his fourth straight stoppage in the first round in the event held in partnership with Smart, Maynilad and Summit Natural Drinking Water.

Jimenez had earlier scored a quick 26-second win in the semis with four solid punches against June Rhay Angque of Dumaguete City.

Not to be outdone, Hipolito Banal Jr., younger brother of current WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion AJ “Bazooka” Banal, claimed a shutout 5-0 win against Daniel Folio of Dumaguete in the paper weight (44 kg) division.

John Smith Gonzales, 14, of Leyte Sports Academy and handled by former Olympian Violito Payla, stunned 2011 Palarong Pambansa silver medalist Cedrix Joshua Bacus of Talisay City, 5-0, to cop the antweight (34 kg) crown.

Cebu City, meanwhile, collected a total of 13 golds, 16 silvers and nine bronzes in the swimming event to edge Bacolod City (13 golds-10-10) while host Dumaguete finished with 10 golds, 10 silvers and 11 bronzes. 

Leading Cebu’s charge in swimming were 12-year-old Filipino-Japanese Michael Ichiro Kong, fresh from winning four gold medals in the POC-PSC National Games, and 13-year-old Anthony Linn Navarro, coming off a stint in the SEA Games Youth swimming open in Vietnam, who won five gold medals each.

Kong won the gold in the boys’ 100m butterfly, 200m medley relay, 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle while Navarro dominated the boys’ 200m medley relay, 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m individual medley and 50m backstroke.

Also winning five gold medals each were Bacolod City’s Christianne Andrea Jerez who topped the girls’ 12-13 age group 50m backstroke, 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke,100m freestyle and 200m freestyle relay and Rosemary Occeno II in the girls’ 14-15 age group 100m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle relay.

Cebu also grabbed five of the six gold medals disputed in tennis with victories in the girls’ singles, boys’ singles, girls’ doubles, boys’ doubles and mixed doubles to dominate the event backed by Milo, Jollibee, The British Council, Standard Insurance, Manila Bulletin, Negros Navigation-Super Ferry, Kids 3 Food Supplement and RELIV for Kids.