Former vice president Leni Robredo showers Naga-born TJ Amaro with praise after the swimming phenom nabbed seven gold medals and the most bemedalled distinction in the Palarong Pambansa 2024
MANILA, Philippines – No less than former vice president Leni Robredo hailed the stunning Palarong Pambansa 2024 showcase of young star swimmer TJ Amaro after he rose as the most bemedalled out of 541 athletes in the 13,000-strong delegation that packed Cebu City.
A proud son of Naga, Camarines Sur now representing Calabarzon as a Grade 11 student of San Beda-Rizal in Taytay, the 17-year-old phenom swept all seven of his swimming finals across the weeklong event at the Cebu City Sports Center, breaking three Palaro records in the process.
“So proud of our very own, TJ Amaro,” Robredo wrote on Facebook, before listing the events Amaro competed in and won, like his record-setting 50-meter and 100m butterfly individual events, and 4x100m medley relay alongside three other standout swimmers.
“TJ is now an incoming senior high school student at San Beda [University] Taytay and is now representing the Calabarzon Region, but we are still extremely proud of him because he is a homegrown Nagueño and has, in the past, won many swimming competitions representing Naga City.”
Amaro represented Bicol in the Palaro 2023 edition in Marikina City, where he won just one medal in the 50m fly, albeit also in record-setting fashion.
Under the tutelage of elite coaches of San Beda’s renowned swimming program, which currently boasts a staggering title 20-peat in the men’s seniors division and 23 total titles in boys’ juniors play, Amaro skyrocketed his Palaro resume sevenfold with one more year of eligibility remaining.
“I’m happy because it was one of my goals in this year’s Palaro, to become one of the most bemedalled athletes out of all the high schoolers here in the country,” Amaro said in Filipino after his sixth event last Sunday, July 14, and a few hours before his sweep-completing relay.
He and fellow star swimmer Jasmine Mojdeh alone were responsible for 12 of Calabarzon’s 57 gold medals, more than 20% of the entire region’s title haul.
Led by the duo’s efforts, Calabarzon regained its usual second overall place in the final tally behind 17-year dynasty National Capital Region and a mere one medal ahead of fellow powerhouse Western Visayas.
“Congratulations also to all our Palarong Pambansa athletes who did us all proud,” Robredo concluded.
– Rappler.com
