General Santos City — A year after dominating the pool with a seven-gold-medal sweep at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa, young swimming sensation Titus Sia is gearing up for stiffer competition in the 2025 Batang Pinoy National Championships.
Now 13 years old, Sia—who represented the National Capital Region (NCR) in the Palaro—will banner the Quezon City squad this time, under the guidance of coach Archie Lim.
Sia is personally trained by coach Miguel Ibazeta, who helped hone the youngster into one of the country’s fastest age-group swimmers. At the Palaro in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Sia smashed multiple elementary boys’ records, including those in the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter freestyle, highlighting his rise as one of the brightest prospects in Philippine swimming.
For this week’s Batang Pinoy, Sia is again entered in seven events, aiming to replicate or even surpass his previous golden haul.
“He’s had solid preparations, and his times should be faster,” said his father, Nino Sia, expressing confidence in his son’s form heading into the meet.
Titus and the rest of the Quezon City delegation have already arrived in General Santos City, joining thousands of athletes converging in the Tuna Capital of the Philippines for the week-long national youth games set from October 25 to 31.
Defending overall champion Pasig City will once again be the team to beat, sending a 675-strong delegation supported by 162 coaches and 34 officials and staff. Last year, Pasig City dominated the medal tally with 105 gold, 64 silver, and 116 bronze medals.
Davao City, meanwhile, has also fielded a formidable 713-member contingent, traveling to GenSan aboard 13 buses and 10 vans for the annual competition for athletes aged 17 and under.
