PALAWAN, Philippines – Franklin Catera of Iloilo Province replicated his champion feat en route to the gold medal of the boys’ 18-under high jump event in the 2024 Batang Pinoy at the Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex on Tuesday, November 26.
Catera, who triumphed in the same event in this year’s Palarong Pambansa in Cebu in July, reset the tournament standard to 1.98 meters, a whisker better than his old record of 1.97m set last year.
His jump was also better than his Palaro effort of 1.78m.
Over in Manila, US-based gymnast Haylee Garcia swept all five events in the girls’ senior division of artistic gymnastics at the national training facility in Intramuros.
She recorded an all-around score of 46.9 points after acing the balance beam (11.85), floor exercise (12.6), uneven bars (10.9), and vault (11.775).
Meanwhile, Pasig’s Mariano Matteo Medina IV copped three archery golds, the latest in the boys’ 13-under recurve after firing 685 overall.
“Before you win, you must learn how to lose….no pain, no gain,” the 13-year-old Medina told reporters.
In swimming, FJ Catherine Cruz of Mabalacat, Pampanga became the new record holder of the girls’ 16-17 200m breaststroke after clocking 2 minutes and 28.71 seconds, surpassing the old record of 2:29.61 set by Cotabato’s Jie Angela Mikaela Talosig.
Naga City’s Albert Jose Amaro II also eclipsed his old record of 53.29 seconds in the boys’ 16-17 100m freestyle event, finishing with 52.59 in the final to cop the gold.
Moreover, Dubai-based Ellise Xoe Malilay of Cebu City wrapped up her first and only stint in jiu-jitsu, which was introduced this year, with the gold in juvenile girls’ 16-17 -44kg category by beating Jade Rhian Rosal from Pasig via submission (triangle armbar).
Trained by Asian Games gold medalist and world champion Meggie Ochoa, Malilay is ranked seventh in Asia’s professional women’s no-gi division, winning a gold medal in the 2024 Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championships two weeks prior.
“I’m incredibly honored to have competed and won gold in this tournament, knowing that Batang Pinoy is a big part of history with so many top athletes having competed here before,” Malilay told Rappler.
“It feels awesome to be part of that legacy and I’m really proud to add my name to it.”
According to the latest tally released by organizer Philippine Sports Commission, last year’s runner-up Pasig City is pacing the medal tally with a 35-gold, 18-silver, 26-bronze output.
Following Pasig are Quezon City (14-12-20), Sta. Rosa, Laguna (14-11-4), defending champion Baguio (12-19-19), and Muntinlupa City (12-5-6). – Rappler.com
