From 11th to 5th: Tagum athletes win big in Batang Pinoy Mindanao finals

TAGUM CITY, November 4, 2015-The young athletes of the City of Tagum showed their mettle in sports as they emerged victorious by clinching a total number of 61 medals in the recently concluded 2015 Batang Pinoy Mindanao Qualifying Leg held last October 23-29, 2015 at Koronadal, South Cotabato.

From being number 11 in the over-all rankings of the teams who competed in 2014, the Tagum City contingency was ranked 5th out of the 136 LGUs that competed in the 2015 edition of the Batang Pinoy Mindanao. This was largely due to the team’s winning of 22 gold medals, 18 silvers, and 21 bronze medals.

The events in which the players won during the said competition were Athletics, Badminton Girls (15 under), Basketball Boys and Girls, Dancesport, Karatedo, Sepak Takraw Girls, Swimming, Taekwondo, Wrestling and Arnis.

The contending athletes who represented the local government unit of Tagum and qualified in the said sporting event will then compete in the Batang Pinoy National Finals on November 27, 2015 to December 2, 2015 at Cebu City.

Meanwhile, two teams and seven individual athletes who competed in the 2015 MILO Little Olympic National Finals at Sta. Cruz, Laguna brought home a total of nine medals.

 Sepak Takraw players Jessie Encomienda, John Lloyd Escabarte and Charles Alvin Flores were part of the Mindanao team who outplayed the other qualifying teams from Luzon and Visayas to win the championship prize of the game, while the players for Volleyball – Boys helped secure the Bronze Medal.

On the other hand, the Mindanao qualifiers from Tagum City to the Athletics competition also churned out three silver medals and three bronze medals for Long Jump, Triple Jump, Javelin Throw, Shot Put and 100 m-Sprint, while the city’s gymnast had a rhythmic gymnastics balls presentation that earned her a bronze medal.

The Milo Little Olympics and Batang Pinoy are programs that are geared towards sports development, as well as instilling the values of self-discipline, respect for law and order, sportsmanship and camaraderie, among others. (Richi D. Gulle/CIO-Tagum)