QC bets overall Luzon BP leaders

IBA, Zambales—Quezon City cashed in on an avalanche of medals in swimming to fend off Baguio City’s unexpected surge through taekwondo and wushu yesterday in the Luzon qualifying leg of the 2013 Batang Pinoy Games.

Joshua Taleon and Kirsen Chloe Daos accounted for six of QC’s 15 gold medals in the pool where Palarong Pambansa champion Maurice Sacho Ilustre of Manila and Marc Audrey Santos of Malolos, Bulacan, sustained their golden romp.

Ilustre, a Grade 8 pupil from University of the East, raised his victory run to  four after topping the  boys’ 13-15 200-meter and 1500-m freestyle. Santos, 12, ruled the boys’ 11-12 100m, 200m, 400m and 1500m free.

Taleon, who earlier topped the boys’ 13-15 50m breaststroke and formed part of QC’s gold-winning 200m medley relay team, concluded his stint with a gold in the 200m breast, while Daos won the girls’ 13-15 200m and 400m free and the 200m butterfly.

Counting  the golden performances of Jean Nigel Buan and Amber Austa in taekwondo, QC seized the overall lead from defending Luzon leg champion Pangasinan with 31 gold, 14 silver and 21 bronze medals.

Pangasinan (20-15-17) began its title-retention bid by dominating athletics but came up with only five golds in  archery yesterday and finished out of the medal race in swimming, wushu and arnis.

Baguio climbed to third overall (19-21-18) after pocketing seven gold medals in taekwondo, five in wushu, three in swimming and one in arnis.

The winning jins were Kristian Daniel Manitag (featherweight), Angelica Joyce Gaw (fin), Christian Mark Duntungan (fin), Trisha Mae Buscagan (light), Phoebe Kate De Guzman (welter), Cramer Juris Quiambao (fly) and Kaye Shanelle Romnar (middle).

Baguio’s  wushu champs were Faith Liana Andaya and Christian Nicholas Lapitan in basic san lu, Vanessa Jo Chan and Joel Casem in chang quan, and Zereena Redge Dumseng in nan quan while Norielyn Joy Sagun won the girls’ anyo single weapon in arnis.