MEET CHAMPS: UC defends secondary crown in 26th Cebu City Olympics; Unit 5 steals elementary title

Carl Bernardo Bejasa of UC competes in the secondary boys badminton event (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON).

Carl Bernardo Bejasa of UC competes in the secondary boys badminton event (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON).

The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters continued to lord it over in the secondary division while a new champion emerged in the elementary division of the Cebu City Olympics.

After three days of intense battle, the 26th edition of the annual meet came to a close yesterday with the Webmasters defending their crown and Unit 5 wresting the elementary division title.

The Webmasters finished their campaign with a harvest of 60 gold medals, 34 silver medals and 31 bronzes.

Just like last year, University of San Carlos (USC) finished next to UC anew with a 25-38-25(gold-silver-bronze). Trailing USC was Abellana National School (ANS), which bagged 19 golds, 20 silvers and 38 bronzes.

Unit 5, for its part, dethroned Unit 7 by raking in 47 golds, 40 silvers and 35 bronzes. Unit 7 settled for first runner-up up with 28 gold medals, 18 silvers and 17 bronzes. Finishing third was Unit 8, which produced 24 golds, 22 silvers and 36 bronzes.

“We are very happy that our athletes did well,” UC athletic director Bernard Ricablanca told Cebu Daily News. “We are looking forward to Batang Pinoy and Cviraa competitions.”

“We have to continue our sports program. I want to thank Atty. Augusto Go and Chancellor Candice Gotianuy as well as Atty. Baldomero Estenzo for believing in our athletes, to my coaches for doing well in our sports program.”

The Webmasters capped their sterling performance in yesterday’s finale by winning 28 gilts.

UC’s vaunted taekwondo athletes chipped in 10 gold medals courtesy of Mayn Angele Coran (bantamweight), Sheila Mae Lipon (featherweight), Kissha Barro (flyweight), Charles David Labiste (bantamweight), Sal Luis Estrada (featherweight), Warren Jan rama (finweight), Diveson Wilrej Caneda (heavyweight) and Michael Noel Boncales (light middleweight).

Samantha Gem Limos of UC in action in the 400-meter run event. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON).

The two-day swimming event saw UC pocketing 27 golds, while its athletics team wound up with 15 golds, capped by a six-gold medal finish yesterday.

Palarong Pambansa gold medalist Samantha Jane Limos led UC’s strong showing at the track by winning golds in the 400m, 200m and 100m events. Jhuvan Jhem Baculot topped the triple jump and UC’s girls relay team topped the 4×400 and 4x100m contests. UC’s eskrimadors hauled in four golds while the table tennis team team chipped in three golds.

UC also got four golds in the archery and another gold in lawn tennis.

Of the 25 sporting events, the Department of Education-Cebu City Division officials were not able to include karatedo, dancesport and billiard events to the official medal tally as the three events were being played as of press time yesterday.

Tournament officials, however, assured that results of the three unfinished events will no longer affect the final rankings.

Following the completion of the meet, officials from DepEd-Cebu City Division and Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) will right away start the selection process for the forming of team that will represent the Cebu City Niños for Batang Pinoy National Finals on Nov. 27-Dec. 3 in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

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