Baguio rules Batang Pinoy’s Luzon qualifier

IBA, Zambales—Striking hard in contact sports, Baguio City ruled the Luzon qualifier of the 2013 Batang Pinoy Games.

Baguio City delivered the decisive medals from muay and arnis courtesy of quadruple gold-medalist Norielyn Sagun in a dramatic final-ditch rally that nixed Quezon City’s frenetic bid for the Luzon title.

Sagun, 14, notched victories in the girls anyo single weapon, double identical weapon, sword and dagger on Saturday and capped it off with an outstanding show in the anyo synchronized double identical weapon yesterday.

Muay warriors Clyde Drexler Soriano (14-15 57 kg) and Ariel Lee Lampacan (boys 14-15 51 kg) won their respective final bouts that proved enough for Baguio to erase the two-gold deficit going into the last day.

Overall, Baguio amassed 47 gold, 49 silver and 37 bronze medals to topple QC (44-28-35) and Pangasinan (25-25-29), last year’s Luzon champ, in the talent discovery meet witnessed by Philippine Olympic Committee representative Romeo Magat.

Sagun joined archer Althea Nasha Dionaldo of Dumaguete City and swimmers Maurice Sacho Ilustre of Manila and Marc Audrey Santos of Malolos, Bulacan, in the roster of individual athletes who won four gold medals and will be recommended by Magat to the POC hierarchy for further training.

Rey Abogadi also stood tall with a close call over Baguio teammate Sheen Pakilan in the boys anyo sword and dagger before the 14-year-old joined Eza Rai Yalong and Pakilan in runaway wins in the anyo synchronized sword and dagger and double identical weapon.

Baguio, which won a total of eight golds in arnis, concluded the spree with a victory in the girls synchronized sword and dagger that deflected QC’s mighty stand in muay and badminton.

Jason Vanzuela and Glenn Felix Camillo swept the badminton boys 12-under and 15-under singles titles while Sean Keith Rollon (boys 45 kg), Joshue Rivera (42kg), Jessa Rivera (girls 42 kg) and Lolit Lauron (45 kg) won their matches in muay finals for Metro Manila’s largest and most populated city.

Muay fighters Chris Kaizer Monayao (14-15 48 kg) and Robert Balinon (13-14 54 kg), both from Ifugao, Muntinlupa’s Mariz Ambuyoc (12-13 54 kg) and Bernard Dolores (12-13 40 kg), Olongapo’s Alvin Joseph Clark (12-13 42 kg) and Bulacan’s Jeremie Yalung (14-15 40 kg) also emerged triumphant.

Luzon medalists will take on the best of Mindanao and Visayas in the national finals on Nov. 19 to 23 in Bacolod City.

Laguna placed fourth (16-20-31) after Jhochelle Alvarez bagged the gold in the badminton girls’ 12-under singles and doubles with Kim De Leon, while Manila wound up fifth (16-7-6) out of 105 local government units invited by the Philippine Sports Commission.