Cebu City Niños take commanding lead as meet nears finale

Cebu City athletes. | Photo from DepEd Tayo Cebu City Facebook page

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Niños staged a massive comeback in the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) 2025, overtaking previous leader Bohol Province, to seize the top spot in the medal tally as the competition nears its conclusion on Saturday, March 15.

From second place on the third day of competition, the Niños surged ahead with an impressive 62 additional gold medals, bringing their total to 87 in the unofficial count from the CVIRAA secretariat. They also amassed 73 silver and 67 bronze medals, establishing a significant lead over Bohol Province, which now sits in second place with a 55-45-68 haul.

With this huge lead in the medal standings, Cebu City is poised to defend its overall title in CVIRAA 2025 now held in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, extending its reign in the meet as perennial champions.

READ: CVIRAA: Bohol Province Bags 33 Golds as Competition Heats Up in Bayawan City

Cebu Province remains firmly in third place with a 37-35-71 tally, while early leader Dumaguete City has slipped to fourth with a 26-37-24 record. Lapu-Lapu City made a remarkable climb from ninth to fifth place with a 26-14-24 showing.

Rounding out the top 10 in the medal standings are Mandaue City (25-38-44), Negros Oriental (25-30-23), Bayawan City (19-17-26), Tagbilaran City (19-13-19), and Toledo City (7-3-6).

READ: CVIRAA 2025: Cebu City Niños aim to extend their reign

CEBU CITY NIÑOS

The Cebu City Niños’ dominance was fueled by its artistic gymnastics team, which delivered 31 gold medals—15 from women’s artistic gymnastics (WAG) and 11 from men’s artistic gymnastics (MAG). Dancesport also played a crucial role, contributing 14 gold medals across both elementary and high school divisions.

In combat sports, Cebu City’s athletes clinched three golds in taekwondo and two in wushu, while additional golds came from chess, secondary girls’ futsal, and secondary girls’ basketball. With several events still ongoing, the Niños are expected to secure even more medals before the competition wraps up.

READ: CVIRAA 2025: Garcia, Hontiveros rally behind Cebu City athletes

Meanwhile, Bohol maintained its dominance in athletics, collecting 23 gold medals in track and field. Its gymnasts also delivered, particularly in aerobic gymnastics, where they secured 13 golds. Four more gold medals came from wushu.

Cebu Province, on the other hand, capitalized on its strong performance in athletics, where its tracksters bagged 19 golds. The delegation also added four golds in wrestling, three in taekwondo, two in lawn tennis, and two in baseball. Their basketball teams contributed as well, winning gold in the elementary boys’ 5×5 and secondary girls’ 3×3 divisions.