VIGAN, Ilocos Sur—Swimmer Jalil Taguinod and archer Bryan Amir Eugenio capped their week-long brilliance with another golden feat in their respective fields to end their dominant stint in the Luzon Leg of Batang Pinoy with five gold medals each.
Taguinod of Santiago, Isabela again dominated his favorite breaststroke event, topping the boys 12-under for his fifth gold at the pool of the Elpidio Quirino Stadium here.
The sixth-grader at Infant Jesus Montessori School earlier won the 12-under 50-meter and 200m breaststrokes, 50m backstroke and the 200m individual medley.
Tarlac Province’s Bryan Amir Eugenio copped the gold in the 1440 Olympic Round Mixed to add up to his victories in the 20 meter, 40m, 50m events and team division.
Archery also churned out a young heroine in Maria Karylle Pangilinan who won four gold medals for her Magalang, Pampanga team with triumphs in the 50m, 60m, 40m and the 1,440 Olympic Round events.
Two more athletes were going for five-gold medal feats in the penultimate day of this multi-event meet organized by the Philippine Sports Commission for athletes 15years old and below.
In athletics, Jason Jabol Dasmarinas won his fourth gold medal following his conquest of the 15-under boys’ 200-meter run.
Coming from a poor family in Bicol and playing out of Dasmariñas, Cavite, Jabol earlier bagged gold medals in the 15-under boys’ long jump, 200m and 4x100m relay. He was to go for his fifth in the 4×400 meter late afternoon.
“Gusto ko pong tulungan ang pamilya ko kaya nagpupursige po ako para manalo,” said the son of a carpenter and plain housewife from Camarines Norte.
Other winners in athletics were Daniel Ann Pinero of Taguig City who captured the gold in the girls’ 200m with a time of 27.06 seconds, just a tad faster than second placer Kristel Joy (27.07) of Tarlac Province.
Dasmarinas team won the girls 4x100m relay over Tarlac and Calamba. Meanwhile, Bataan and Quezon City took the gold in the boys’ and girls’ volleyball competition, respectively.
Swimmer Samantha Therese Coronel was also going for her fifth gold in relay events. She earlier triumphed in the girls 15-under 50m butterfly, 100m and 200m and 50m backstroke events.
In badminton played at the Vigan Convention Center, Laguna bagged four out of eight gold medals at stake, two of them came from Jochelle Alvarez, who won in the 13-15 girls’ singles and doubles event.
The former national juniors pool member defeated Christine Dorega of Malolos in straight sets, 21-7, 21-14, then she teamed up with Maria Ariana Belene in beating the Bulacan duo of Clara Sofia Ignacio and Kimberly Lao, also in straight sets, 21-8, 21-12.
Alvarez, a 9th-grade student at Colegio Monterey de Pila, was in the national pool for a year before leaving early this year to focus on his studies in Pila, Laguna.
“Heavy po kasi ang training sa national team and kailangan lagi sa Manila. Focus po muna ako sa studies ko,” said Alvarez, who honed her skills at Whackers Badminton Academy (WBA) in her hometown.
Her teammates from Laguna-WBA Johnyl Mialda and Nestojan Tapales defeated the Malolos pair of Charles Alcarpio and Jeff Cruz in two sets, 21-14, 21-15, in the boys’ 13-15 doubles; Andrea Princes Hernandez and Maria Rheylen Angel smashed Chatherine Seguin and Ysabelle Regine Louis for the gold in the girls’ under-13 doubles.
Over at the Baluarte Multi-Purpose Hall, Kylen Joy Mordido and Michael Concio, Jr. ruled the standard event of the girls 15-under and boys 12-under for their second gold in chess.
Finals in boxing, arnis, football will close out the Batang Pinoy Luzon participated in by more than 3,000 children in the northern part of the country.
