Gray, Abastillas bag 5 swim golds; Laguna pulls away

CALAPAN, Oriental Mindoro—Courtney Melissa Gray and Justine Ann Abastillas shone brightest in the pool with five gold medals each Saturday even as runaway overall leader Laguna also flexed its might in karatedo and wrestling in the Southern Luzon leg of the Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy Games.

Gray, a 15-year-old lass from Puerto Princesa City, upset triple gold medalist Nicole Pamintuan of Laguna in the girls’ 13-15 200-meter freestyle then nailed her fifth gold in the 800 free. The Trace College-Los Baños high school sophomore earlier won the 200 back, 100 back and 400 individual medley.

Abastillas, a Grade 7 student from St. Philomena School in Lucena City, capped her five-gold romp with victories in the 50-meter backstroke and 50 free.

After dominating athletics with 31 gold medals the other day, Laguna grabbed 26 in swimming built on the strong showing of quadruple gold medalist Carla Mae David and triple-gold winners Mark Anthony Bation, Gabriel Velasco, Joshua Casino and Pamintuan.

Last year’s overall national champion then pulled farther away from the opposition with seven golds in karatedo and three in wrestling.

Kimberly Karunungan accounted for three of Laguna’s victories in karatedo and Daniel Angelo Caunin had two while wrestler John Lester Rueda ruled the boys’ 35-kg Greco Roman.

Karunungan teamed up with Perlyn Viloria and Ilyanna Marcelo in the girls’ team kata after winning the advanced kata (-50kg) and kumite (-47kg).

Caunin prevailed in the boys’ kata (-53kg) and kumite (-49kg).

Aside from David, 14-year-old Skyler Claveria also snagged four gold medals in swimming with victories in the boys’ 13-15 50m breast stroke, 200 breast, 200 IM and 100 breast.