This year’s Cebu City Olympics is shaping up to be another tight duel between the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters and the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors.
The two powerhouse schools came up with good harvests as secondary swimming and athletics got going yesterday in the 26th edition of the multi-sporting event at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
Karen Mae Indaya led the Webmasters’s 10-gold haul at the pool yesterday by collecting four gilts in the girls 13-and-over 100 short course (SC) meter backstroke in 1:155.57; 400 SC meter freestyle (5:04.84); 200 SC meter IM (2:44.16) and in the girls 4x50m relay in partnership with Mai Kawabata, Shane Allyne Pareja and Kristina Angelika Torres.
Mika Marie Dela Serna snatched her own gold in the 200-meter butterfly while Pareja was crowned champion in the 200m breaststroke in 3:23.59.
UC also got gold from the girls 100 meter free freestyle courtesy of Lindsay Anne Gonzales (1:09.63) and the boys 200m breastroke courtesy of Jobert Indaya.
UC, the defending overall champion, also ruled the girls 13-and-over 4×100 meter medley relay in 5:49.67 behind the quartet of Mai Kawabata, Saraga, Kristina Angelika Torres and Bencynth Ghail Luage.
While the Webmasters frolicked in the pool, they could only win a solitary gold in the medal-rich athletics event courtesy of Crystal Villanueva in the secondary girls high jump (1.44 meters).
Meanwhile, the Warriors, who lost the overall title to UC last year, could only come up with a single gold in swimming through Gil Anton Talisaysay who won the boys 200m butterfly.
USC tracksters show way
Making up for USC’s slow day at the pool were its tracksters who harvested four gold medals in secondary athletics, allowing the team to stay within striking distance of UC.
USC’s winners include Jan Dean Durano in secondary boys shot put (9.97 meters), Jan Allyson Pajantay in secondary girls shot put (9.49m), Mary Joy Loberanis in the 1,500m run and Stephen Pekitpekit, who topped boys high jump.
Four records tumble
Meanwhile, four swimming records were shattered.
Mariel Estreba of Unit 6 ruled the girls 12-and-under 100m breaststroke in 1:18.18, which bettered Paula Vega’s 1:22.77 established in 2004.
Unit 5’s Mary Pauline Indaya, Reina Ezabella, Maria Michaela and Dionilyn Jade Villahermosa also shattered the 10-year old girls 12-and-under 4×100 medley mark of 6:15.91 of Unit 12 with a time of 6:04.57.
Unit 6’s boys 12-under 4x50m medley relay squad of Edward Andrew Ybanez, Martin Samuel Del Rosario, Francis Daniel Austria and Jehaosh Reign Garrido rimed 2:30.46 to better the old record of 2:42:01 made by Unite 8 last year.
Heleina Julia Rabanes, Densil Shane Dinopol, Maria Michaela Recilla and Dionilyn Jade Villahermosa of Unit 5 also made some noise when they ruled the girls 12-and-under 4x50m medley relay with new record of 2:36.87. The previous mark was 2:53.01 of Unit 7.
Unit 7 also banked on its athletes from the USC-Basic Education to start its elementary title-retention bid on a high note by winning three golds courtesy of Shaula Santigo (shot put), EJ Pakana (1,500m) and Juan Alvery Biagan (100m freestyle).
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