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2014 Palarong Pambansa: Calabarzon loosens NCR grip on swimming
In the just-concluded 2014 Palarong Pambansa, the National Capital Region (NCR) contingent harvested 43 golds, 17 silvers and 21 bronzes from swimming events, but the Calabarzon region put up some resistance with 6 golds by its elementary girls, 3 golds by the high school boys and another 3 golds by the high school girls. Matrin V. de Lima
The National Capital Region remained the dominant force in Palarong Pambansa swim events, but its grip this year was not so tight as exemplified by the split-second victory of Calabarzon in a freestyle relay event and the six golds of the 12-and-under girls from Region IV-A.
Faster than NCR's tankers by less than two-tenths of a second in the 200-meter freestyle relay were Calabarzon's Elroi Ivon Adelantar, Jose Gabriel Laviña, Jose Mari Arcilla and Joshua Casino, whose swim times totaled a record-setting 1:43.51 versus the 1:43.73 of Andre Pogionko, Darwin Tumaneng, Alberto Batungbakal, and Skyller Claveria.
With the win, Calabarzon's young aquamen defended their region's crown in the 200-meter freestyle relay. Last year, the region beat the squad from the Western Visayas.
This year, nine new Palaro records were set in swimming: four individual marks and five team performances.
Motivated to break the record
In a phone interview with GMA News Online, coach Geneson Mendoza said his swimmers were “determined to win in record time.”
He said Adelantar and Laviña were the first two swimmers and both gave their side the lead, but NCR pushed hard in the third and fourth stages.
Mendoza said Arcilla, who is an incoming Grade 9 student, and Casino, who is an incoming 4th year high school student, are young enough to return next year to defend their title a second time.
While the team had only two weeks of practice time together before the 2014 Palaro, Mendoza said his four freestyle relay swimmers were familiar with each other from their participation in other competitions.
Splashes of gold
In this year's individual events, 13-year-old Maurice Sacho Ilustre won seven golds from a mix of freestyle and butterfly performances, while incoming Grade 7 student Imee Joyce Saavedra set new individual freestyle records in the 200-meter and 400-meter distances.
Saavedra also won the gold in the 100-meter freestyle and contributed to the record-setting win of NCR in the 200-meter freestyle relay.
Seth Issak Martin earned the gold with a record-setting time of 1:07.21 in the 100-meter backstroke while Regina Paz Castrillo logged a new record of 1:05.79 in the 100-meter butterfly. Castrillo also won the gold in the 200-meter individual medley.
Emilio Jose Viovicente will remember the 2014 Palaro for his five-gold haul in different freestyle events, including his contribution to the record-breaking victory of NCR in the 400-meter freestyle relay (4:09.15).
Prescilla Loren Aquino and Claire Anne Galang bagged four golds each—two for individual events and another two in relays. — JDS/GMA News
