Arvin Naeem Taguinota II of Pasig City shone brightest in the Batang Pinoy swimming competition, clinching three gold medals to emerge the most bemedaled athlete thus far yesterday at the Rizal Memorial swimming pool.
After securing a gold medal on the opening day, Taguinota continued to shine by dominating the boys 12-under 50-meter backstroke with an impressive time of 31.15 seconds and the boys 12-under 100m backstroke, completing it in one minute and 05.63 seconds.
This remarkable 12-year-old swimmer, honored as the Best Swimmer in a recent age-group competition in Dubai, earned his first gold in the boys’ 8-12 years old 200m individual medley, outclassing over a hundred competitors in a best time finals swimming format.
Taguinota had recently showcased his talent at the Emirates International Swimming Championships in Dubai, where he secured six gold medals in various events, including the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstrokes, 200m individual medley, and 50m and 100m freestyle events. He was awarded the Best Swimmer among more than 1,000 swimmers, primarily from the Middle East.
In the multi-event competition organized by the Philippine Sports Commission for 17-year-olds, other notable gold medalists included Jamesray Mishael Ajido of Mandaluyong City, triumphing in the boys’ 13-15 200m IM (2:15.30m) and the boys’ 13-15 50m butterfly (25.94s), and Paranaque City’s Michaela Jasmine Mojdeh, who excelled in the girls’ 16-17 200m IM (2:28.18m) and girls’ 16-17 50m butterfly (29.27s).
The taekwondo competition saw cities of Bacolod and Iloilo earning two golds each, with Ace Sha Oro and Joshua Emmanel Deita leading in the light heavyweight and light middleweight divisions for Bacolod, and Justin James Diasnes and Shein Nicole de Asis securing golden victories in lightweight and Kyorugi 5th categories for Iloilo.
Caloocan City’s Brianna Elyse Cajucom clinched gold in the individual kata female 10-11 years old category, while Davao City secured gold in the individual kata male 12-13 years old class, courtesy of Robert Bryan Dayanan.
In boxing, the Carlo Paalam-coached Cagayan de Oro squad maintained a perfect record, with all 10 boxers advancing to the next round at the Rafael Palma School in Manila.
