TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – Cebu City, silent the whole week, kicked up storm in combat sports to crowd the medal standings still dominated by host Leyte Sports Academy-Smart Saturday in the Visayas leg of the Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy 2012 here.
With victories in karatedo, taekwondo and arnis, Cebu City caught up with the leaders with 28 gold medals, 22 silvers and 25 bronzes so far in the penultimate day of competitions that serve as this region’s qualifying for the National Finals in Iloilo City next month. It is expected to improve further with final rounds in dancesports.
LSA-Smart, whose gold medal machine ground to a halt after track and field competitions ended, still has a grip of the lead with a 34-22-22 tally, followed by Bacolod City whose girls swim team kept it afloat with 32-22-20. Negros Occidental slipped to fourth place with 27-13-13.
Cebu City also lorded it over chess competitions held at the Governors Hall.
The Cebu City taekwondo jins flustered the opposition with seven gold medals at the Leyte Normal University Gym.
Ma. Carmela Coran drubbed Tacloban City’s Maureen Grace Limchaypo for the junior women’s bantamweight title.
The other winners were lightweight Aila Marie Lepon, welterweight Micah Marie Mission, middleweight Marie Hans Therese Espina, junior men finweight Sal Luiji Estrada, featherweight Kylle Jhon Flores and lightweight Yutaka Toyoda.
Key Cebu cities dominated karatedo at the Dep-Ed Regional Office Gym with 11 gold medals, five of them from Cebu City. Mandaue and Lapu Lapu City each came away with three victories.
Clark Anthony Raganas touched off the onslaught in karatedo with victory in boys novice kata. Also winning top honors were Ma. Arcien Verder in advanced -39kg girls kata, Jesah Mae Ann Bacus in advanced -50kg kata girls, Jeremiah Bullo in boys advanced +53kg and Joshua Philip Salvador in advanced -53kg boys.
Cebu City also had seven golds in arnis including those of Mika Grava in girls pinweight full contact, Ronilo Lumantad in boys flyweight, James Indig in boys bantweight and Luke Placyd Galon in boys lightweight.
Francis Isaia Diluvio and his partner Julia Paz Branzuela of Cebu do the Tango during dancesport event at the Leyte National High School Gym in Tacloban City.
Felix Shaun Balbona, Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano and Glexan Derotas captured the boys team standard, blitz and rapid gold medals for Cebu City. Keithclaire Morala ruled the girls blitz, Vic Glysen Derotas girls rapid, and Sevilano boys standard individual golds.
Jan Godfrey Seno also gave Cebu City the boys singles trophy in lawn tennis at Tacloban Tennis Club. He later teamed up with Christopher Encarnacion to claim the boys doubles gold.
But the duo failed to stop Michael Anthony Cuento and Harvey Klen Gilbuena of Tacloban City from taking the team tennis gold. Maasin City’s Mary Joy Calapre, Angelica Mae Baluran, Janzen Angeli Albino and Princess Julienne Paler took the girls team tennis top plum.
Tacloban City also gained in badminton with victories at the Badminton Republic. Ysabelle Carmen Dumandan grabbed the girls singles title and girls doubles crown with Christian Mae Griego. Michael Joshua Lora was boys single champ. Baybay City’s Benjie Labajo and Reeves Ian Ababat raised the boys doubles trophy.