GENERAL SANTOS—Bago City standout Divine Andrea Pablito and Santa Rosa’s Ashton Clyde Jose brought home the first two gold medals of the 2025 Batang Pinoy National Championships on a rainy Sunday morning at the Antonio Acharon Sports Complex here.
The 17-year-old Pablito found the 1-kilogram disc quite slippery, but she still managed to hurl it at the longest distance in the competition at 32.19 meters on her first attempt in the girls’ under-18 discus throw.
“Mahirap hawakan, kaya hindi ko in-expect na makuha ko,” said Pablito, a 12th grader from Ramon Torres National High School in Bago, Negros Occidental.
Maasin, Southern Leyte’s Trishan Nella and Gwenn Salac of Tarlac settled for the silver and bronze, respectively, with their heaves of 31.26 meters and 30.85.
Eight meet records fell in swimming, as the 16-year-old Jose of Santa Rosa, Laguna smashed the one-year-old mark of Anton Della, at 2:15.12 in the 16-17 year old boys’ 200-meter individual medley.
Jose, who studies at Letran in Manila, said he won the gold despite having a bad swim.
“I got in too fast, and messed up my split times, but I got it. But I did not expect to get any records,” said Jose.
Local favorite Christian Lagnason went on to ace two gold medals in record-breaking fashion in the 12-13 year-old action.
Lagnason first ruled the 200-meter IM in 2:19.63, erasing Pasig’s Arvin Taguinota II’s 2:22, which he set last year.
Next, Lagnason crushed Taguinota’s 59.52-second mark set last year in Puerto Princesa with a better 57.26 seconds finish in the 100-meter freestyle.
In doing so, he was ahead of Tacloban’s John Malpas (57.91), who has also broken Taguinota’s time. Multiple Palarong Pambansa gold medallist Titus Sia also came in a record-smashing time at 58.25 seconds for the bronze.
Another Palarong Pambansa standout, Sophia Garra, made her presence felt with two golds for Malabon, after she dominated the 12-13 year-old events of the 200-meter IM, and the 50-meter backstroke
Garra missed breaking her existing record in the 200-m IM, with her time of 2:32.14, as she was in front of Davao del Norte’s Czarina Cavite (2:42.28) and Pasig’s Adrienne Tacubos (2:42.89).
Garra’s 30.71-second feat in 50-m breaststroke later surpassed Nicole Diamante’s year-old time of 33.16. Her rivals Jordane Sales (Manila) and Arianne Lim (Bulacan), also set records with their clockings of 32.04 and 32.56.
Mandue’s Kevin Chan and Rhian Casona, Negros Oriental’s Edward Plaza, Pasig’s Roland Ceprado, and also set new meet records.
Chan topped the 14-15 year-old, 100-meter freestyle in 55.39 seconds, which was better than the 56.16-second mark Jet Berueda set last year.
Berueda still broke his record with a 56.02 feat for the silver, while Rio Coluyot of Batangas was third at 56.16 seconds.
Casona swam in for a record-breaking 1-2 finish with Diamante in the 14-15, girls’ 50-m backstroke, with their time of 31.92 seconds and 32.2 seconds, beating Kristine Jane Uy’s year-old 32.35-second effort.
Plaza’s 29.82-second performance in 12-13 year old, boys’ 50-meter backstroke, smothered the 30.27-second time of Richard Navo.
Ceprado finished first in 14-15 year-old boys’ 50-m backstroke at 28.32 seconds, as he and David Ocampo and Navo shattered the meet record of Zachary Torres (29.95) for the gold, silver and bronze.
