PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan – Baguio City struck heavily on combat sports and retained the overall championship in the week-long 2019 Batang Pinoy National Championships here.
Athletes from the City of Pines have already secured the title although finals in ball games were still being played at presstime by virtue of their 61 golds, 45 silvers and 66 bronzes.
Fourteen of those gold medals came from wushu, 10 each from muay and judo, and eight from taekwondo.
They also reigned in archery by winning eight golds, five in wrestling, three in pencak silat, and one each in arnis, athletics, and boxing.
A far second is Cebu with 34 golds, 34 silvers and 19 bronzes.
Winning gold medals in wushu were Princess Quizon (sanda girls 42kgs), Crizzle Anne Sadcopen (sanda girls 52kgs),Aleca Dumseng (female 1st set chang quan, female 1st set qiang shu and female 1st jian shu), Andrei Albert (male 1st set chang quan, male 1st qiang shu/gun shu and male 1st set dao shu), Alyna Lomibao (female 1st set nan quan and female 1st set nan dao), Verah Dulay (female 24 taiji quan), Hans Lubguban (male 24 taiji quan and Male 32 taiji jian), and Carla Tilap (female 32 taiji jian).
Muay gold medalists were Jether Bab-anga (10-11 year old boys 30kgs), Azreal Duping (10-11 boys 34kgs), Charlwayne Bannagao (10-11 boys 38kgs), Larstephen Cañedo (12-13 boys 44kgs), Edel Ngina (12-13 boys 46kgs), Aira Mendoza (12-13 girls 38kgs), Krisna Malecdan (12-13girls 40kgs), Francine Velasco (14-15 girls 38kgs), Maria Isabel Malijana (14-15 girls 42kgs), and Ashlene Malecdan (14-15 girls 54kgs).
Meanwhile, Cebu City’s harvest came from arnis where it won 11 golds, and archery with eight golds – all courtesy of Aldrener Igot Jr., who later on became the most bemedaled athlete in the tournament.
Cebu City also won four golds in weightlifting, three in dancesports and muay, two in boxing, and one each in athletics, karatedo and triathlon.
Also battling for second to fifth places are Davao City, Laguna Province and Quezon City.
Davao City has 31 golds, 24 silvers and 37 bronzes so far followed by Laguna (27-24-18) and Quezon City (25-25 -23).
Baguio City is set to get P3 million worth of incentives, while runners-up will receive P2.5M (second), P2M (third), P1.5M (fourth) and fifth (P1M). (Kristel Satumbaga)