Baguio brings gold haul to 137

Baguio City drew strength from its victories in arnis, muay, taekwondo and wrestling to crown itself champion in the Northern and Central Luzon Leg for the second straight year at the close of the first Qualifying Games of the third Philippine Olympic Festival yesterday at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Siblings Ana Melissa and Christopher Manuel de Leon accounted for 10 of the 29 gold medals scooped by the Pines City in arnis while bantamweight Sheena Asan spearheaded the charge in taekwondo.

Baguio trounced host Olongapo City in regu competition of sepak takraw and won swimming golds from Maria Elouise Labao (100-meter and 200m butterfly and 100m and 200m backstroke), Jenkins Labao (50m fly, 100m back and 200m IM), Reinaldo Bautista (200m back) and its 400m freestyle relay team.

Aside from Asan, Patricia Sembrano (fin), Apriel Solimen (feather), Michelle Bitog (light middle), Sarah Opendo (middle), Jeordan Dominguez (fin), Ron Alfred Miko David (light) and Kenneth Apalla (light heavy) also delivered for Baguio in taekwondo.

Baguio also snared seven of the eight wrestling gold medals courtesy of Kevin Quitola (60kg), Edgar Paasa (66kg), Jason Siador (74kg), Jessie Matias (55kg), Perlito Siador (60kg), Adam Cacay (66kg) and Violeta Lagawad (55kg).

At the end of five-day meet, Baguio amassed 137 gold, 112 silver and 72 bronze medals to retain the title it won last year in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

Bulacan had huge victories in medal-rich aquatics and gymnastics but ended up finishing at distant second with a 58-gold, 39-silver and 49-bronze medal haul. Tanker Jessie Khing Lacuna snared nine more gold medals following a three-gold harvest the day earlier while Judy Mae De Guzman, Regilyn Jose and Nikki Ann Bertulfo accounted for 15 of the 21 gold medals Bulacan harvested in gymnastics.

Bertulfo, 12, reigned supreme in the balance beam, floor exercise and vault for the overall title in the category 2 level 3 girls’ artistic gymnastics while De Guzman and Jose dominated their respective events in rhythmic gymnastics for girls.

De Guzman, a daughter of a construction worker from Bocaue, Bulacan, ruled the rope, hoop, ribbon and ball events to capture the overall crown in category 1 level 3 before Jose capped Bulacan’s exploits with wins in the ribbon, rope, ball and hoop events (category 2 level 3).

Lacuna earlier posted triple A times in the 100m freestyle and 100m back for boys 15 and over.