MAYOR Oscar Moreno praised the sterling performance of a young swimmer from Cagayan de Oro City who brought pride and honor to the city as he reaped awards in an international swimming competition held late August this year in Singapore.

Fifteen-year-old Merrell James Neri, a Grade 10 junior high school student of Cagayan de Oro College Phinma, took home one gold medal and five silver medals in the 14th Singapore Island Country Club Swimming Championships held on August 25-26, 2018.

Neri bagged gold medal in the 200m freestyle while claiming five silver medals in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m breast stroke, 100m breast stroke and 4x50 relay where he swam against the best swimmers from China, Malaysia, Britain, Japan and host Singapore.

He earned the right to represent Cagayan de Oro City and compete in Singapore tournament after qualifying in the 2nd Cagayan de Oro Swim Meet held at Kagay-an Lawndale Spring Resort here in June 2018, which was hosted by the City Government and sanctioned by the Philippine Swimming League (PSL).

City sports executive overseer Paul Douglas Calingin, COC Phinma principal Fatima A. Vergel, COC Phinma JHS program head Jim Magallanes accompanied the bemedalled swimmer when they paid a courtesy call to the mayor on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. (PR)