By Edwin Rollon
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – Local pride Quendy Fernandez and fellow UAAP star Philip Andrian Sahagun continued to pile up gold medals. At the same time, Paolo Miguel Labanon added strength to the Philippines' overall championship campaign on Tuesday at the 11th BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asian Growth Areas at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex.
The 19-year-old Fernandez, the UAAP Season 86 Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, topped the girls' 100m backstroke for her second individual gold medal while anchoring the Philippine Team-E to two relay victories in the five-day event organized by the Philippine Sports Commission under Chairman Richard ‘Dickie’ Bachmann and hosted by the city government of Puerto Princesa led by Mayor Lucio Bayron.
Fernandez clocked 1:07.21 to top the all-Filipino podium finisher with Lora Micah Amoguis finishing second (1:10.53) and Jann Maureen Doton (1:18.42) in third.
Joining Fernandez in the Philippine Team-E that won the 200m medley relay 4x50 (2:06.68) were Nastassja Austria, Maglia Jaya Dignadice, and Aniya Austria. They beat Philippine Team-A and Philippine Team-B with a time of 2:13.19 and 2:15.99, respectively.
In the afternoon, she joined June Pearl Dagano, Franchesca Jimenez, and Dignadice in a victorious finish in the 200m freestyle relay 4x50 clocking 1:55.76 against PH Team-A (1:56.63) and PH Team-B (2:10.13).
At the start of the competition on Monday, the UP Diliman student won the 50m backstroke (30.22) and a silver in the 400m freestyle medley (4:20.08)
“It’s a fun experience kasi dito po ako nagco-compete kung saan ako lumaki, and dito rin po ako natuto lumangoy from kinder palang dito nako swimming clinic, kaya pamilya sa akin medyo advantage sa foreign rivals ko,” said Fernandez, a member of the Philippine Team competing in the Asian Age Group Championship last February at the New Clark City in Tarlac.
“Sobrang malaking boost po sa akin na makita ko po ‘yong mga familiar faces, it just really brings so much joy and energy,” “Diko po inii-expect na makakuha ng maraming medals. Hopefully, [kung loloobin po], madagdagan ko pa po ‘yong mga medals ko,” she added.
For his part, Sahagun, 21, a member of the De La Salle team in the collegiate meet, claimed his second individual gold with victory in the boys' 100m backstroke (1:00.82) against Indonesian Egie Zewail Muhammad (1:04.28) and PH Team-A Jon Raphael Rodriguez (1:07.77).
He marks his name in the Games history book as the first gold medal winner in the biennial meet return after a six-year hiatus due to the pandemic, winning the boys 200m Individual Medley on Monday with a time of 2:13.55 before anchoring Philippine Team-A in boys 400m freestyle relay with a time of 3:44.05 beating Malaysia Team-B (3:50.05) and Indonesia (3:55.73).
A native of Davao City, the 19-year-old Labanon, considered by the Philippine Aquatics, Inc (PAI) as a future in long-distance events, claimed the gold in the 400m freestyle (4:14.01) and 200m butterfly (2:12.09).
Other winners in the second day of action are Jieangela Mikaela Talosig in the girls' 400m freestyle (4:43.75), Jaime Uandorr Maniago in the boys' 50m breaststroke (30.45), and Marien Carino in the girls' 50m breast (36.41).
Over at the Hagedorn Coliseum, junior standouts Regina Zoey Denise Bayudang and Khrystn Antoinette Valdez of Holy Trinity College in General Santos City beat the pair of Maria Francesca Denise Almazan and Harlene Claire Herbabuena, 21-14, 21-12, to clinch the gold medal in women’s double event.
In archery, Utada Lorica and Craig Gimongala settled for the silver in the mixed compound division after bowing to Indonesia’s Regina Tania and Rasya Muhammad, 153-139, while in recurve, Philippines B (0) and E (4 (16*) got the silver and bronze behind Malaysia B.
