Indang, Cavite—Navy cadets claimed nine golds in swimming and five in athletics as they surged to the top with 22 mints in the third day action of the 2024 Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) National Championships at the Cavite State University-Main Campus here.
Swimmers Kirk Dominique Reyes and Kyla Janelle Chua of De La Salle-Taft settled for five golds apiece, including three each, on Wednesday to lead the Philippine Navy’s onslaught at the De La Salle Aquatic Center in Dasmarinas, Cavite.
Only Air Force cadet Phil Jabez Alejandro of PHILSCA-Fernando Air Base Campus, Lipa City, was able to break the Navy Cadets complete dominance following his victory in the men’s 200-meter freestyle in 2:20.23.
The 18-year-old Reyes added the men’s 100-meter butterfly (1:02.69) and the men’s 50-meter breaststroke (32.38- seconds) to his collection. He won three golds on Tuesday.
Chua, also 18- years old, reigned supreme in the 50-meter breaststroke (40.30- seconds) and the women’s 100-meter butterfly (1:10.20 seconds). She also garnered three golds the other day.
Navy teammate Francine Shane Lugay also won three golds on Wednesday, the first in the women’s 200-m freestyle (2:33.43) and the 100-m backstroke (1:14.14), as well as the women’s 200-m backstroke (2:51.14). Other winners for the Navy were Marvic Iguidez in the men’s 100-meter backstroke (1:10.32) and 200-meter backstroke (2:40.35).
In athletics at the CvSU track oval, Guhan D. Garcia and Geremae Domalanta ruled the men’s and women’s 200-m respectively, as the 20-year-old Garcia of Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation, Inc. in San Carlos City, Pangasinan outraced two Air Force cadets – Romeo de la Cruz Ojeno and Peter Mines Molina of West Visayas State University in Iloilo City in the last 10 meters to pocket the gold in 21.6 seconds.
Both Ojeno and Molina finished just a split of a second behind, with identical 21.7 seconds.
“It was very close. I was just ahead by a shoulder length. Talagang binuhos ko lahat ng energy ko sa huling metro,” said the second year Bachelor in Physical Education student Garcia, who brought home four gold medals, including the 200-meter dash, in the recent 2024 PRISAA National Championships in Legazpi City.
“Mas nahirapan ako dito sa ROTC Games kay sa PRISAA. Akala ko natatalo na ako, buti na lang naungusan ko pa sa huling metro. Salamat kay God. Hindi niya akong pinayagang matalo,” added Garcia of Malasiqui, Pangasinan.
On the other hand, the 19-year-old Domalanta, also a Navy cadet from the Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation, encountered similar tight opposition from Army cadet Janice Patou, also an Army cadet from Don Honorio Ventura State University in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The Bachelor’s in Physical Education student crossed the finish line in 26.1 seconds, while Patou was just a short length behind with a time of 26.8 seconds. Army cadet Macaila Jane Requirme, the long jump queen, the other day, settled for the bronze in 27.3 seconds.”
Air Force cadet Romeo Gange Constancio of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos likewise overcame the challenge of Army cadet Charles Fernando in the men’s long jump. The third-year criminology student, Constancio, leapt 6.57 meters to claim the gold.
