BUOYED by victories in swimming and athletics and getting enough points from minor events, National Capital Region edged Team Visayas to retain the overall title in the Milo Little Olympics National Finals that ended yesterday at Cebu City Sports Complex.
The Big City bets, who swept the swimming titles and ruled three of the divisions in athletics, amassed 615 points, just six ahead of Visayas in the most closely fought championship race in the five-year history of the battle of champions.
NCR collected 330 points to top the secondary division, while its elementary athletes contributed 285, the second highest output in the category.
A three-time champion before NCR ended its reign in Marikina last year, Visayas got a huge lift from its elementary athletes with 309 points under the points system which gives 30 points for titles in medal-rich athletics and swimming and 25 in major ballgames like basketball and volleyball.
Visayas’ output in the elementary division wasn’t enough to overhaul the 30-point buffer established by NCR in the secondary category.
Luzon wound up a far third overall with 416 points, while Mindanao finished fourth with 400 points.
With Catherine Bondad and Imee Joyce Saavedra leading the charge, NCR took the full 120 points in elementary and secondary swimming, while sprinter Judy Ann Rendora fueled the assault in athletics, where the Big City athletes collected 110 points.
NCR also carted away the titles in women’s artistic gymnastics and boys’ lawn tennis in the elementary division.
The Big City athletes asserted their might in the secondary division with titles in boys’ badminton, girls’ chess, gymnastics and girls’ volleyball.
Visayas proved too strong for the field in boys’ athletics, boys’ badminton, girls’ chess, men’s artistic gymnastics and girls’ volleyball. The other titles won by the Visayas in the secondary division came in football, gymnastics, girls’ table tennis and boys’ and girls’ lawn tennis.