By REYNALD MAGALLON
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Archers Jianna Rae Delos Reyes and Jephtha Caleb Fernandez hit their mark to lead the gold rush for Baguio City just as cyclist Neo Khenji Moyong delivered the first gold for the earthquake-stricken Mati City in the 2025 Batang Pinoy, Tuesday, Oct. 28.
Delos Reyes and Fernandez were on target, each claiming three golds with the former hitting a total of 680 points after a score of 346 and 334 in the first and second distances in the compound division 12-year-old while the latter had 324 and 319 points for an aggregate score of 643 points in the 14-under at the
Their six medals were a huge chunk of the 10 golds that catapulted Baguio City to the top of the gold medal tally as of 3 p.m. on Wednesday. The City of Pines have now claimed 23 golds, 10 silvers and 13 bronzes.
A Philippine Science High School student who aspires to represent the country in the international competitions, Delos Reyes admitted fighting through nerves in her first Batang Pinoy stint.
“Medyo ninenerbyos po kasi first batang pinoy. Yung mga coaches ko ineencourage ako na kaya ko po. So parang sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na prepared po ako. nagtraining po ako,” said Delos Reyes who began archery just last year.
Also claiming three gold medals in archery was Cebu City bet Dheniel Ceballos who ruled recurve division with a total of 684 points after scores of 340 and 344. He did it while admittedly struggling with his preparations due to the Cebu earthquakes.
“Na-stop yung training namin dahil sa lindol sir. Two, three days nakapag training kami pero short distance lang kasi maraming malalapit na building sa school namin. Hindi kami makatraining sa labas,” said Ceballos.
Meanwhile, Sabelle Monica Lao displayed the grace and flexibility to give Koronadal a bronze medal in rhythmic gymnastics hoops.
Also now in the medal tally was Mati City after Moyong ruled the mountain bike cross country time trial after finishing the race in 3:19.933. The win came as a huge morale-boost for the city which is still recovering from the crippling effect of the doublet earthquake that hit the region on Oct. 10.
Over at the swimming pool at the Antonio Acharon Sports Complex, Christian Isaiah Lagnason also claimed his third gold medal for the host city after ruling the boys 12-13 100m butterfly with a record time of 1:00.55.
Santa Rosa City’s Ashton Clyde Jose, likewise, bagged his third gold after clocking a 2:25.54 to rule the boys 200m breaststroke in a record-breaking fashion.
In athletics, Franklin Catera of Iloilo beat his own record of 1.98 meters in the U18 high jump after clearing 2.04m.
Coming in second in the medal tally is Pasig (12-9-20) followed by Manila (11-11-10), Quezon City (10-11-14) and Muntinlupa (7-11-2).
