Bisdaks ascend back to throne

STA. CRUZ, LAGUNA, Philippines – After sweeping the first three editions of the Milo Little Olympics National Finals from 2009 to 2011, Team Visayas was so close of taking home the coveted perpetual trophy - a symbol of pride and bragging rights reserved only for the team that will win the overall title of the annual sporting meet for four consecutive years.

But the Bisdaks missed a shot at history after being dethroned by the powerhouse National Capital Region

(NCR), their fiercest rivals in practically all athletic endeavors.

And after three years of agonizing journey, the spirited Bisdaks let their arch-nemesis taste the bitterness of defeat in exactly the same disappointing manner they went through way back in 2012.

Yesterday, emotions ran high as Team Visayas ascended back to the hallowed throne it once reigned,  outshining the combined forces of NCR and South Luzon to clinch the overall championship of the 7th Milo Little Olympic National Finals at the Laguna Sports Complex here.

With Cebuano athletes at the forefront backed up by an equally-talented cast of athletic warriors from Iloilo, Bohol,Dumaguete, Aklan, Capiz, Rojas, Guimaras, and Antique, Team Visayas has assembled what is regarded as its best contingent ever.

They have the overall title to prove that claim.

"This is the sweetest victory ever. I'm very happy, it's worth the trip. I'm very happy with the athletes' performance considering that some of them are first timers. They put up a good fight and I salute to that," said  Ricky Ballesteros, the Visayas delegation head.

After three days of battling and fighting hard on all fronts, Team Visayas was declared the overall winner with 577 points, just 2.5 points ahead of its closest pursuer NCR-SL. Team Mindanao settled for the third place honors with 422 points followed by North-Central Luzon with 316.5.

Team Visayas also emerged as the top performer in the secondary division with 306.5 points, while NCR-SL  lorded it over the elementary level with 279 points.

Interestingly, the first summary of championship points released by the organizers saw NCR-SL leading over Visayas, but the latter's own documentation and record committee counter-checked the points and found some discrepancies in the tally especially in gymnastics.Daniella de la Pisa led the charge in gymnastics with two golds in the rope and team event.

After a careful verification by MLO's records committee and the executive board led by Robbie de Vera,Team Visayas was officially declared the overall winner.

Team Visayas saved its best for last in chess, with the University of San Carlos-Basic Education pawnpushers coming up with a clean sweep in the elementary and secondary games.

Not to be outdone, the Bisdak spikers grabbed three of the four titles at stake in volleyball, a complete reversal of the 2014 results.

After missing in action last year, the Catmon girls are back in the groove with a clean 3-0 record in the elementary division. They capped their campaign with a 25-11, 25-13 thrashing of Northern and Central Luzon.

The other volleyball golds were delivered by the University of San Jose-Recoletos in the secondary category.

In football, the big-hearted Paref-Springdale booters prevailed. They fought to a 2-2 draw with Far Eastern University in their final match, but snared the gold by a higher goal difference of 19 as against FEU's 15.

Over at the rubberized track oval, Elvy Villagoniza emerged as the only double gold medallist for Team Visayas after topping both the long and triple jump events in athletics. Villagoniza got triple jump gold with a 11.28-meter mark.

Jerome Luchavez won gilt through the elementary javelin throw with a distance of 24.80m, while the Jaro, Iloilo-native Morito Perez added a silver in the 400m run, losing by just one-tenth of a second to  Mindanao's Marjun Sullez, who clocked in 52.1 seconds.

Team Visayas bagged another gold through the secondary girls 4x100m relay plus a bronze in the 4x400m real. Its secondary boys counterparts settled for silver in the 4x100m run, while the elementary girls and boys ended up with a bronze.

At the swimming pool, Team Visayas' elementary girls prevented the region from a gold-medal shutout in the final day after winning the 4x50 medley relay behind the efforts of Mariele Estreba, Kyla Soguilon, Angela Belandres, and Stephanie Louise Saac. They registered an aggregate time of 2:22.84.

Raven Faith Alcoseba missed a fifth gold, winding up for silver only in the 800m freestyle won by NCR's Gwyneth Cawaling with the time of 10:07.43. Alcoseba clocked in 10:12.13.

In taekwondo, Team Visayas reigned supreme with golds coming from Veronica Garces,Mikee Rose Regala,  Shaira Isabel Garbanzos, Caroline Dean Espinosa, Dex Ian Chavez, Jan Myle Mercurio, Sal Luiji Estrada, Adrian Philip Amihan, and Arielle Aimee Beronio.

Team Visayas notched a double victory in badminton through Southwestern University's shuttlecock artists as its elementary bets from Maslog Elementary School ended with a silver in the elementary boys.

Team Visayas posted a 1-2 finish in basketball, with St. Robert's School of Iloilo ruling the elementary level, while Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu wound up with a silver in the secondary division.

With a championship belt now safely strapped around their waist, Team Visayas has no other way to go than to make another shot at history, hoping and dreaming big to pack up that elusive perpetual trophy someday. (FREEMAN)