GENERAL SANTOS CITY—Stephanie Mandigma redeemed herself on a warm Monday morning with her total lift of 113, capturing the girls’ 40-kg title in the weightlifting meet of the 2025 Batang Pinoy National Championships here.
The effort of the 14-year-old Mandigma in the girls’ 13-17 action, came as Zamboanga City dominated the competitions with a two-day, five-gold haul, when the morning sessions ended at the Barangay Labangal gymnasium.
“Medyo na-pressure po ako. Hindi ko po in-expect iyung gold medal,” said the 4’8” Mandigma, who was cheered on by 2020 Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, whose husband Julius Naranjo coached the young lifter.
Mandigma’s triumph bettered her 4th-place finish in the Palarong Pambansa.
At the 2024 national championships, Mandigma, a ninth grader at the Jalajala National High School, won a gold medal in 36-kg category in Dumaguete City.
“I told her to have fun. We trained hard for this. It was good redemption for her,” said Naranjo, who jointly coaches JalaJala’s lifters with Hidilyn.
With her right arm getting sore, encouragements and cheers from Diaz, who is Mandigma’s role model, made her forget her aching muscles as she went for a 61-kg lift in the clean and jerk.
Pep Samantha Agosto, the daughter Olympic coach Pep Agosto, accounted for Rizal Province’s other gold in the 11-year-old girls’ side.
Zamboanga’s gold medals came from Precious Lozada in the 36-kg, 13-17 year old action off her total of 90, and from Cydrelle Andalahao, whose 115 gave her the girls’ 13-17, 36-kg honors.
Jane Manalo and Kyle Kue topped the 10-year-old and 12-year-old action for the Zamboanguenos.
Cebu took home two golds, courtesy of Shinichi Catangub (girls 13-yo) and Kemuel Ubanan (boys 11-yo).
In swimming, nine meet records were shattered, including one from Palarong Pambansa standout Sophia Garra over at the Antonio Acharon Stadium in Lagao.
The 13-year-old Garra snared her third gold medal after she finished in 2:25.54 in the 12-13 year-old, girls’ 200-meter backstroke event, erasing her old mark of 2:30.00.
Von Andrei Pinon of Rizal Province, outperformed Palarong Pambansa multi-medallist Titus Sia, with finishing with record times of 2:18.20 and 2:18.43, in the 12-13 year-old boys’ backstroke.
A total of six records fell in athletics, with the latest coming from McGregg Didal of Davao del Sur, with his 6.67-meter leap in the under-18 boys’ long jump eclipsing an older mark of 6.66.
Francene Rosario of Manila ran the 18-under, girls; 400-meter run with a record clocking of 58.47 seconds.
