Cebu Bags 39 Medals in Batang Pinoy 2014 Nat’l Championship

Cebu Province won four gold medals, 16 silver medals and 19 bronze medals in the Batang Pinoy 2014 National Championship in Bacolod City Negros Occidental on December 9 to 13.

Seventy-eight students and 27 coaches from different elementary and secondary schools from Cebu represented the province and competed in 12 out of 21 sports events.

Cebu Province’s karatedo team won two gold medals, four silver medals and five bronze medals in three events –kata team, individual kata for men and women and individual category.

Billiard player Jessa Mae Tangaja fished out one silver medal while Queen Bee Enad and James Dave Secretaria won bronze medals in Billiards 9 Ball tournament.

Enrico Lorenzo of Cebu Province Athletics team won the gold medal in 200 m run and silver medal in 100 m run for men.

In the 4×100 m relay for women, the Cebu Province team, which includes Carmela Therese Dublin, Brittney Moira Cañete, Leanna Angela Ramos, and Pearl Jean Abellar, placed second.

Aldemar Navarro also won three medals in athletics, a silver medal in javelin throw, another silver medal for long jump, and one bronze medal in 100 m run for men.

Navarro shared that in spite of the calamity his school encountered in the past year he still has the time to practice in the field of athletics.

“Bisan pa man sa nahitabo namo sa Yolanda niaging tuig, gipadayon naku ang pagbansay-bansay para ani nga event (Although we were affected by the super typhoon Yolanda last year, I still continued preparing for this event),” he said.

Navarro is a third year high school student of Sta. Fe National High School in Bantayan Island, Cebu, one of the areas severely devastated by Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) in the last quarter of 2013.

He made Bantayan Island proud of what he achieved during the national championship of Batang Pinoy 2014.

In the basketball women division, only three players of the province played the event, instead of four, because one player was injured during their first game against Tayabas City of CALABARZON. Still, they placed second in the final round.

Cebu’s pride, Rayven Faith Alcoseba, won three bronze medals in 200 m butterfly, 400 m IM, 4×50 free relay in the swimming competition.

Aside from Alcoseba, Psalm Deniel Aquino also won one silver medal in 100 m backstroke and one bronze in 100 m freestyle while Marielle Estreba, Nickalyn Gonzales and Lyhann Navarro won bronze medals in 4×50 free relay.

Other bronze medalist is Charles Jeremiah Lipura in 400 IM. Cris Anthony Luna won silver medal in the arnis competition. Princess Meagan Parba won one gold medal in Taekwondo event while Dineson Wilrej Cañeda and Natasha Florine Elpa won bronze medals.

In lawn tennis, Alyssa Mae Ceniza Bornia placed second in single event. With her was Xandra Joie Ondoy Tabo-tabo in the double event where they gained second place.

More than 125 local government units (LGUs) around the country converged in the national youth games.

The event witnessed the best and most enduring athletes with ages 15 years old and below competing in various sports events.

Cebu province ranked 24th among the 125 LGUs and Cebu City grabbed the over-all champion with a total of 52 gold medals, 41 silver medals, and 45 bronze medals.

Baguio City placed second with 26 gold medals, 22 silvers medals, and 15 bronze medals. Zamboanga City placed third with 26 gold medals, seven silver medals and 28 bronze medals. Bacolod City ranked fourth with 24 gold medals, 27 silver medals, and 35 bronze medals.

Cebu province will be the tentative venue for the 2015 Batang Pinoy National Championship, as planned by the Philippine Sports Commission committee.

The national finals is a program of the Philippine Sports Commission in partnership with the Philippine Olympic Committee, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Education and local government units pursuant to Executive Order No. 44 also known as the Philippine Youth Games-Batang Pinoy for children ages 15 years old and below.

www.cebu.gov.ph