Tankers, jins shine in POF elims

Cebu’s tankers and jins hauled a combine total of 23 golds, 8 silvers and 14 bronzes yesterday in the 2008 Philippine Olympic Festival’s Visayas elimination in Dumaguete City.

Tanker Paula Abigail Vega and Noel Cañeda led Cebu Niños in a dominating performance at the Lorenzo Teves Aquatic Center.

Vega swam for gold in six events contested in the 15-17 age group, winning the 200m Individual Medley (IM), 200m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 200m backstroke and the 4x100m freestyle relay.

Cañedo, on the other hand, finished with five gold medals, ruling the 200m IM, 200m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 1,500m freestyle and the 200m backstroke in the boys 15-17 division.

Michael Ichiro Kong and Anthony Navarro also contributed to Cebu’s winning campaign, combining for five gold medals. Kong, who competed in the U9 class, bagged the gold in the  200m IM, 50m freestyle and the 100m backstroke while Navarro, swimming in the U10 group, snatched the gold in the 200m IM and the 100m backstroke.

Other gold medal winners include Danielle Mae Ballesteros in the100m breaststroke for the girls U11 and Niño Baguio in the 50m butterfly for U16 division.

The swimming relay teams also won two gold medals courtesy of  Pierre Nino Baguio, Matheus Caesar Galo, Michael David Vega and Noel Cañeda in the boys 15-18 class. The girl’s team of Norie Joy Long, Arlette Baller, Aimee Sanchez and Paula Abigail Vega finished first in the girls 11-14 division.

The team of Daniella Angela Biscocho, Ly Ann Navarro, Ichiro Kong, and Anthony Lynn Navarro won the U10 mixed 4x50m freestyle relay. The other relay team of Bethmay Arellano, Trina Cañeda, Patricia Mae Baguio and Kaithlin Capacio (11-14 category) also earned a bronze medal.

Individual swimming silver medalists include Capacio, Arellano, Joyce Huguete, and Merlyn Silva. The bronze medalists were Trina Cañeda, Patricia and Pierre Baguio, Arellano, Cañeda, Huguete, Robin Jakobsen, Michael David Vega, Baller and Israel Gaburrada and Dannielle Mae Ballesteros.

Cebu’s taekwondo team of Lord Jay Guia, Michael Realista, Arvin Ferlin, Lovely Lim and Karen Fontanilla, each won a gold medal.

The other jins, including Rovel Mendoza, Cathy Bas and Mariz Balbona, won a silver apiece; while Richard Caingles came up with the team’s lone bronze.

In the football tournament over at the Silliman University football pitch, the Cebu City football squad outlasted sister team Cebu Province 1-0, for its second straight win in the tournament.

Evanjames Mendoza scored the winning goal for Cebu City that sent Cebu Province to a must-win situation versus Negros Occidental today.