Fourteen-year-old James Ray Ajido tore his competition wetsuit and used his training outfit to break three of eight national age-group records that were surpassed after two days of the Batang Pinoy-Philippine National Games swimming meet at the Teofilo Yldefonso Memorial Pool inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Monday.
Ajido, who already set two meet records when he led La Salle-Greenhills to the junior crown in the recent National Collegiate Athletic Association swimfest, could have used his wetsuit after he had it repaired.
But his torn gear felt heavy after it got sewn up to be used for the meet and his training gear felt more comfortable and lighter as Ajido went on to rip existing Philippine marks in the 13-15 year old boy category of the 200-meter individual medley on Day 1, before bringing down the records in 50-meter butterfly and the 100-meter backstroke.
Ajido’s efforts handed Madaluyong three gold medals as he reached the finish line in one minute and 1.20 seconds on his final event of the day, the 100-meter backstroke.
The clocking was four seconds faster than the old mark of 1:05.5 Kristoff David set in July last year during a PSI invitational.
“Sinubukan kong gamitin ulit ‘yung suit ko. Tinahi siya pero mabigat. Ginamit ko ulit iyung pang-training ko. Iyun, na-maintain ko naman iyung time ko,” said Ajido, who bested second place Matthew Gaerlan of Dagupan and Lance Tacdol of Pangasinan.
Earlier in the day, Ajido submitted a time of 25.54 seconds in the 50-meter butterfly to eclipse the four-year mark of James Dominic Manese (26.59).
On Sunday, Ajido won his first gold medal in the 200-meter IM in 2:15.30, shattering San Beda bet Baste Arcilla’s 2:29.28 back in 2013.
Qatar-based Arvin Taguinota and Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh both claimed their second golds on Day 2, in record-breaking fashions as well.
Taguinota, who broke the national age-group mark in the 200-meter IM on Sunday, came up with a new best time in the 8-12 under 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:05.63, improving on last year’s 1:11.03 of Aishel Evangelista.
Mojdeh made her presence felt in the 16-17 year old girls’ 50-meter butterfly and the 200-meter IM.
She broke her own national mark of 30.03 set in 2019, when she saw action in the 50-meter butterfly in 29.27 seconds, and then reset Charize Ezmero’s five-year-old time of 2:41.56 with a better 2:28.18 in the 200-meter IM.
In athletics over the Philsports stadium, Southeast Asian Games veteran Christine Hallasgo stamped her class by taking the top honors in the women’s 10,000-meters in 37 minutes and 6.96 seconds.
Art Joy Torregosa of Cebu was behind in 39:05.39.
Tuguegarao’s Faith Burdeos dominated the women’s under-20 discus throw with a heave of 36.27 meters, while Chrizzel Lanipa of Zamboanga claimed the women’s open shotput gold after clearing 10.60 meters.
Misamis Oriental’s Marc Cabaluna topped the men’s under-18 long jump with his leap of 6.62 meters.
