Puerto Princesa—Rising swimmer Aubrey Tom picked up three gold medals on the first day of the 2019 Batang Pinoy National Championships here.
The 12-year-old Tom, who celebrated her first crown two months ago, came up with better times in ruling the 200-meter individual medley, the 100-meter freestyle and the 50-meter backstroke of the 12-under action of the swimming competitions as the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex pool here.
She clocked two minutes, 32.3 seconds in the 200-m IM, with Tom’s time almost five seconds faster than the 2:37.95 which she submitted during the Luzon qualifiers.
Her time of 1:03.57 in the 100-m freestyle was also 27 seconds better than her 1:04.24 five months ago, and so was her feat of 33.53 seconds int the 50-m backstroke, which surpassed the 34.20 seconds she recorded in the March qualifiers.
“It was great. It was great. It’s just my hard training. It all went out, along with my sacrifices,” said Tom, as she bested Lian Amoguis of Davao City, who took the silver in 2:35.53.
Winning two more medals in the coming days could make Tom the most bemedalled athlete of the games since she is also competing in the 50-meter butterfly and the 50-meter freestyle.
Interestingly, Tom was also a running champ after winning the girls’ 3-kilometer run of the Metro Manila leg of the 43rd Milo Marathon last July 28.
Tom, a sixth-grader from the International Learning Academy in Cainta, Rizal, has started expanding her interests this year to also include biking, aquathlon, and triathlon, according to her mom Shirley.
Tom’s feat came as barefoot runner Lheslie de Lima of Camarines Sur claimed the meet’s first gold medal and Marc Angelo Daroy of Aklan emerged the fastest kid in taking the boys’ 100-meter dash honors.
De Lima came up with a slow time in the girls’ 800m with 2:22.5, to top Laguna’s Magvrylle Matchino (2:25.0) and Pangasinan’s Ana Eugenio (2:28.3).
The 14-year-old de Lima hurt her leg after coming into the games without having done some training for a whole month after she decided to focus more on her studies. She missed classes to join the ASEAN School Games.
Daroy, who is from Washington, Aklan, ruled the century dash in 11.4 seconds and he was ahead of Pasig City’s John Dave Magtangov and Pangasinan’s Justine Angelo Munoz, who took the silver and bronze in 11.6 and 11.7.
His clocking matched that of Veruel Verdadero’s time when he won it in 2015.
Krisha Aguillon of Negros Occidental, for her part, became the fastest girl after copping the 100m gold in 12.7.
Don Gabriel Villa of Dasmarinas, Cavite took the boys’ discus throw gold in 39.65m, while Bago City’s Kate Martinez captured the girls’ disc mint in 33.53m.
Other swimming winners were Cotabato’s Isidore Warain (200m IM) and John Alexander Talosig (200m IM), Davao City’s Lora Micah Amoguis (200m IM) and Pietro Dominic Requiza (100m free), Quezon City’s Arbeen Miguel Thruelen (100m free), Lipa City’s Gillyn Rafaella Gonzalvo (100m free), Paranaque’s Mark Bryan Dula (50m back) and Laguna’s John Alagon (50m back).
Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh, who was among the top performers of the Luzon leg, missed out on the competitions to prepare for the National Open this weekend.