The Cebu City Niños during the opening of the Batang Pinoy/PNG. | Photo from PSC
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The Cebu City Niños earned four gold medals in the penultimate day of the Philippine National Games (PNG) in Manila on Thursday, December 21, 2023, in various sports.
Leading the Niños’ gold medal haul in the week-long multi-sporting meet was archer Zhack Randolf Torreon, who bagged three gold medals in the CU-21 men’s event.
Also winning a gold medal was International Master (IM) Rico Mascariñas in chess.
IM Mascariñas finished the seven-round Swiss system competition with 6.0 points, tied with eventual silver medalist IM Cris Ramayrat of Pasig City.
However, IM Mascariñas earned higher tie-break points to edge out IM Ramayrat for the gold medal.
Digos City’s Jimmy Dano settled for a bronze medal with 5.0 points, while Cebu City’s Anthony Makinano landed in fourth place with 4.5 points.
Torreon’s teammates, Gabriel James Siton, finished with three silver medals in the CU-21 men’s event, while Aldrener Igot earned one silver and two bronzes in the RU-21 men’s event.
Meanwhile, the University of San Carlos’s (USC) bemedalled long-distance runner Artjoy Torregosa earned two more medals in the athletics event.
Torregosa, who first earned her medal last Tuesday in the women’s 10,000m run, tallied another two medals: one silver and one bronze.
This time, she earned her silver in the 5,000m women’s run and the 3,000m steeplechase.
Another Cebuano trackster, John Marvin Rafols, earned a bronze in the men’s long jump open, while Shine Mae Cardona finished the 200m women’s open run with a bronze medal.
Cebu City is currently ranked No. 5 in the unofficial medal tally of the PNG with six gold medals, eight silvers, and 13 bronze medals, which include the list of the aforementioned winning athletes.
CEBU CITY AT NO. 2
In the Batang Pinoy National Championships, in a thrilling showdown for supremacy, perennial champion Baguio City and Cebu City found themselves in a neck-and-neck battle for overall leadership on Thursday.
The meet witnessed a deadlock between the two cities, boasting 17 gold medals each in the medal tally after three days of intense action on various fronts.
While Cebu City’s dominance in gymnastics, securing six gold medals, notably contributed to their standing, Baguio City once again showcased its prowess in combat sports.
Baguio bagged six golds in taekwondo, four in muay thai, three in judo, and three more in archery.
On the Cebu City front, gymnast Jazzmine Legaspi emerged as a formidable force, securing three gold medals in WAG High Performance 2 Uneven Bars, HP2 Floor Exercise, and HP2 team event.
Additionally, Cebu City garnered golds in karatedo and weightlifting, with siblings Althea and Alberto Bacaro making significant contributions in their respective categories.
As Baguio and Cebu remained in a tight race, not far behind are Davao City with 16 golds, 14 silvers, and 12 bronzes in third place, followed by Pasig (15-17-23), Mandaluyong (14-7-11), Zamboanga (14-6-4), and Quezon City (13-14-17).
However, Baguio and Cebu are expected to pull ahead with their finalists aiming for more victories on the final day, which is on Friday.
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