SUMMARY
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TACLOBAN, Philippines – Ormoc City captured the overall championship in runaway fashion after collecting 178 gold medals in the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet that wrapped up on Thursday, April 27, in Tacloban City.
“[Our team’s] unwavering dedication, hard work, and teamwork finally paid off,” said tennis doubles champion Rica Mae dela Cerna and Maria Niña Torrejos.
Another Ormoc City bet Angel Joshua N. Paña, a Grade 7 student of Ipil National High School, also ruled the 44-46kg boxing event to earn a spot in the Palarong Pambansa.
The four-day meet served as a qualifier for the country’s biggest sporting event for elementary and high school student-athletes.
Paña’s school posted a congratulatory message on their social media account: “You have made our school and Ormoc City proud. God Bless on your Palarong Pambansa journey.”
Dela Cerna, Torrejos, and Paña were among the more than 352 student-athlete medalists from Ormoc as they captured 178 gold, 104 silver, and 70 bronze medals to dominate the competition.
This is the third consecutive time that Ormoc City won as grand champion, after also winning the 2018 and 2019 editions before the tournament got shelved due to the pandemic.
Grand Slam victory
Leyte garnered a total of 179 medals – 50 gold, 74 silver, and 55 bronze medals – for a first runner-up finish.
The delegation of the highly urbanized city of Tacloban picked up a 19 gold-27 silver-46 bronze haul for a total of 92 medals.
Rounding out the medal tally: Maasin City 64 medals (19 gold, 23 silver, 22 bronze); Eastern Samar 58 medals (14 gold, 14 silver, 30 bronze); Baybay City 34 medals (13 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze); Samar with 87 medals (11 gold, 30 silver, 46 bronze); Southern Leyte 41 medals (10 gold, 8 silver, 23 bronze); Calbayog City with 40 medals (8 gold, 14 silver, 18 bronze); Biliran 34 medals (7 gold, 7 silver, 20 bronze); Northern Samar 53 medals (6 gold, 16 silver, 31 bronze); Borongan City 17 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 11 bronze); and Catbalogan City 23 medals (2 gold, 5 silver, 16 bronze).
“I honor their grit, the sacrifice, all the hard work they have put in,” Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez said in a message sent to Rappler.
“And I am endlessly thankful to everyone who has contributed to each athlete’s journey towards this Grand Slam victory – their parents, the coaches, the teachers, all members of the LGU. We are three-peat champions, a feat I honor and cherish.”
Ormoc medal winners and coaches will receive cash incentives from the local government.
Torres-Gomez also thanked her husband and predecessor, now Rep. Richard Gomez, for “planting the seeds of pursuing excellence not just in sports but in all other endeavors one chooses to take on.”
Ormoc next host
Torres-Gomez told local newsmen that Ormoc will serve as the next host of the Eastern Visayas sports meet.
“Next year, we will prepare more because we will be the host and we will have a beautiful preparation for the EVRAA, and I want to assure you that all that you need, you will have,” she said.
This year’s sports meet was co-hosted by two Department of Education school divisions – Tacloban City and Leyte province – with the sporting events held in Tacloban, Palo, Tanauan, and nearby towns.
The EVRAA champions will represent the region int the 2023 Palarong Pambansa on July 29 to August 5 in Marikina City. – Rappler
Ricky Bautista is an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler.
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