By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Negros Occidental’s Bago City athletes made their presence felt early as Divine Pablito and Kharl Allen Ecija delivered podium finishes to kick off the 2025 Batang Pinoy National Championships at the Antonio Acharon Sports Complex in General Santos City.
Pablito, a 17-year-old student from Ramon Torres National High School, captured the first gold medal of the tournament after ruling the girls’ discus throw (Under-18) held late Sunday morning, October 26.
She recorded a winning throw of 32.19 meters on her first attempt, outclassing Maasin City’s Trisha Nalla (31.26 meters) and Tarlac’s Gwenn Julia Salac (30.05 meters).
The Negrense standout improved drastically from her eighth-place finish in last year’s edition.
“In-expect kong makapasok ng Magic 8, pero hindi No. 1,” Pablito said.
“Mahirap ‘pag umuulan, madulas,” she added.
In the boys’ shot put, Tarlac’s Rich Justin Torres ruled the event with a throw of 14.01 meters, while Bago City’s Ecija secured the silver with 13.58 meters.
Caloocan City’s CJ Clark Lopez took the bronze with 13.25 meters.
Meanwhile, the swimming competition opened with a flurry of record-breaking performances as nine tournament records were shattered on the first day of action.
Local bet Christian Isaiah Lagnason thrilled the home crowd by breaking two records previously held by Pasig’s Arvin Naeem Taguinota II.
He set new marks in the boys’ 12-13 200-meter individual medley (IM) (2:19.63) and 100-meter freestyle (57.26 seconds), erasing the old standards of 2:22.02 and 57.92, respectively.
Ashton Clyde Jose of Santa Rosa City set the tone early with a record-breaking time of 2:15.12 in the boys’ 16-17 IM.
All medalists in the boys’ 14-15 100-meter freestyle surpassed the previous best of 56.17 seconds, led by Mandaluyong’s Kevin Bryle Chan, who topped the race in 55.39 seconds.
In the 50-meter backstroke, Negros Oriental’s Dylan Edward Plaza (29.82 seconds) and Pasig City’s Roland Aaron Seprado (28.32 seconds) established new records in the boys’ 12-13 and 14-15 categories, respectively.
The girls’ side also witnessed a series of new marks.
Malabon City’s Sophia Rose Garra clocked 30.71 seconds in the 12-13 50-meter backstroke, smashing Nicola Diamante’s previous record of 33.16.
Mandaue City’s Rhian Casey Casona (31.92 seconds) and Mabalacat City’s FJ Catherine Cruz (31.23 seconds) set new records in the 14-15 and 16-17 categories, respectively, with Cruz narrowly edging the old mark by just 0.06 seconds.
With two medals already secured in athletics and multiple records falling in swimming, the opening day of Batang Pinoy 2025 underscored the rise of young provincial talents like those from Bago City — proving the next generation of Filipino athletes is ready to shine./ASC, WDJ