Quezon City cycling bet Aristen Aricela Ardice Dormitorio pedaled her way into becoming the first gold medalist in the 2023 Batang Pinoy after ruling the girls’ 13-under criterium event at the Tagaytay City Centrum yesterday morning.
Dormitorio clocked in with an impressive 45 minutes and 48.4 seconds in the 30-minute, three-lap race as she bested eight other competitors.
“I’m very happy I won. I prepared well, trained hard and prayed a lot for this victory,” said the younger sibling of mountain bike multi-medalist Ariana.
Dormitorio is transitioning from mountain biking to road cycling and eagerly anticipates participating in the ITT, MTB XCO, and XCE events to bolster her medal count in the cycling competition under the supervision of Philcycling.
Bagging the silver and bronze medals were Yvaine Oasias and Ysabel Nicole Jamero of Iloilo, respectively.
In the boys’ division, another QC bet in Jhaykarl Ophir Macapagal Nuaez copped the gold in the event ahead of silver medalist Kyle Jabat Florez of General Santos City and third placer Marc Jerenz Atienza.
The multi-event competition for 17-year-olds and below, organized annually by the Philippine Sports Commission, also witnessed another standout athlete with an impressive sports pedigree.
Matthew Diaz, the nephew of Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, excelled in the 12-under boys’ 37 kilograms weightlifting category.
Diaz lifted 41 kg in the snatch and 55 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 96 kg to hand Rizal Province its first gold in the weightlifting event of this meet held simultaneously with the Philippine National Games.
“It’s nerve-wracking. Ate Hidilyn told me to just relax and just think of it as just another practice run,” shared the 12-year-old lifter mentored by Hidilyn and her husband, Julius Naranjo.
Zamboanga City also showcased its dominance in the sport as Adrian Bucol, a Grade 6 student at Zamboanga City National School, lifted a personal best of 103 kg (45 kg snatch and 58 kg clean and jerk) to claim the gold in the 12-under boys 32 kg category.
Meanwhile, the 3×3 basketball and swimming competitions set records in Batang Pinoy history, with 123 teams participating in 3×3 basketball for boys and girls, and 2,400 individual swimmers in the swimming events.
This year’s edition of Batang Pinoy features 25 sports.
