DAGUPAN CITY – The City of Dagupan soared high in the 2017 Batang Pinoy Luzon Qualifying Leg in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur after bagging nine gold medals, 15 silvers and nine bronzes in various sports events on October 21-28.
Dagupan won five golds in swimming, three in archery and one in karatedo in the week-long sports event initiated by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee to discover young athletes at the grassroots who can be trained for international competitions.
Informed of the result, Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez congratulated the Dagupan athletes for bringing honor and pride to their city and people, vowing to give cash incentives to the medalists when they return home.
Dagupan's star swimmer Janelle Alisa Lin, who set three new national records in the 2016 Batang Pinoy National Championships in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, won a total of three gold and two silver medals.
Lin ruled in her favorite events -- the 800-, 400- and 200-meter freestyle -- and settled for silver in the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys.
Fellow swimmers Marco Rioflorido and Iverson Fabiana won one gold medal each in the 200-meter backstroke and 100-meter freestyle, respectively.
Rioflorido also bagged three silver medals in the 1500-meter, 100-meter backstroke and 400-meter freestyle. His teammate, Fabiana won a bronze in the 200-meter freestyle.
The girls’ team composed of Mari Alexie Adriano, Lin, Letecia Macanlalay and Sophia Garcia, hauled a bronze medal in the 4x50 medley.
Sophia de Vera, Garcia, Lin and Macanlalay also settled for the silver medal in the 4x50 freestyle relay.
It was swimming that turned out to be a veritable gold mine for the Balon Dagupan Swimming team of Dagupan Sports Commissioner Finela Sim, a former member of the De La Salle Swimming Team in her college days, as they hauled five gold, nine silver and five bronze medals.
Meanwhile, Dagupan's star archer Jared Sua also won three gold medals, one each in the 40- and 60-meter distance and the Olympic round, settling for silver in the 50-meter distance and FITA round, matching swimmer Lin's total output of three golds and two silvers.
Sua, her teammate Janina Erica Deloso and Alyssa Isabelle Cuenco were all declared as national qualifiers after the game.
The ninth gold for Dagupan was won by Shane Enrico Vasquez who ruled the 8- to 9-year-old advanced kata in the Batang Pinoy Karate competition.
His teammates Jharred Garcia won bronze in the 28 kg. boys’ kumite, 8 to 13 years old; Gladwin Lachica, bronze, 32 kg. boys’ kumite, 8 to 13 years old; Abby Brito, silver, 40 kg., girls’ kumite, 8 to 13 years old; and Arianne Brito, silver, 54 kg. girls’ kumite, 14 to 15 years old.
Frederich Carl Cuna finished third for the bronze medal in the cadet-heavyweight division Batang Pinoy taekwondo competition.
The Dagupan badminton team of Blesses Erguiza and Sofia Margaret Reyes in the under-13 girls' double badminton settled for bronze.
The city’s wood pushers were medal-less but Eivane Jacob Cruz qualified in the rapid chess under the 13 to 15 years old boys’ category; John Ruiz Bravo in standard chess; and Danever James Ubando in the Blitz chess category.
The city’s arnis team also made their mark in their respective events with Camille Saingan winning the bronze medal in the individual single weapon; Rein Elizabeth Oxino, getting also bronze in the individual single weapon; and Melquizedick Macam, snatching the silver in the combative event and a bronze in individual sword and dagger.
In the team event in arnis, Saingan and Oxino won a silver medal in the team single weapon. Arriane Pontanes and Saingan also bagged the silver in the team double weapon, while Oxino and Pontanes settled for the bronze in team sword and dagger weapon.
Danica Ibañez and Angela dela Cruz got the silver in team single weapon.
The 2017 Batang Pinoy Luzon Qualifying Leg was participated in by 125 provinces and cities. (PNA)
