MANILA, Philippines – Calabarzon and Central Luzon jumped to a quick lead in the partial medal tally of the Palarong Pambansa 2023 at the Marikina Sports Complex on a stormy Tuesday, August 1.

Region IV-A snagged 11 golds as of 8:40 pm in the first full day of the week-long national sporting extravaganza – four more than the long-standing NCR dynasty.

Region III also had a great start, tallying eight golds to settle for early second place out of 17 regions.

Secondary boys’ sports made up a majority of Calabarzon’s early lead, with at least two golds apiece in arnis, chess, and swimming.

Central Luzon likewise had spread-out production in the medal tally, led by three golds in elementary boys athletics and two in secondary boys archery.

Two golds in secondary girls chess led third-ranked NCR among a handful of one-gold breakthroughs.

Most notably, one of the capital’s golds came in record-setting fashion, as Grade 6 student Krystal Ava David reset the elementary girls 100m breaststroke Palaro record with a 1:17.98 finish – nearly seven seconds faster than Azula Elise Villanueva of Central Luzon.

Despite a slow start for its lofty standards, NCR is still expected to surge in the coming days of the annual event filled with the country’s future sporting stars.

Based on available records, no region has knocked off the capital from its throne, with Calabarzon and Western Visayas only alternating spots in second and third place.

Per the early 2023 tally, Western Visayas only has four golds to its name, but the region is likewise expected to rebound in the coming days. – Rappler.com