RHIAN Casey Casona of Mandaue City set a new meet record in the girls’ 14-15 50-meter backstroke swimming at the 2025 Batang Pinoy National Championships on Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Antonio Acharon Sports Complex in General Santos City.
The 14-year-old Casona of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu finished the race in 31.92 seconds to give Mandaue its first gold medal in the multi-sport event.
Casona, who has been making waves in various swimming competitions since the age of 12, broke the Batang Pinoy girls’ 14-15 50m backstroke record of 32.35 seconds previously held by Kristine Jane Uy of Taguig City.
Nicola Queen Diamante of Las Piñas also surpassed the old record with a 32.20 clocking, but settled for the silver medal, while Annika Therese Chavez of Marikina took the bronze with a 32.52 finish.
Bill Bradley Espinosa of Cebu City earned the gold medal in the boys’ 16-17 50m backstroke.
The University of Cebu swimmer took the podium’s No. 1 spot after topping the race in 28.55 seconds, 0.16 ticks ahead of South Cotabato’s Rexcel Paul Magan (28.71). John Sylvester Dequiña (29.39) of Tagbilaran City brought home the bronze.
A total of nine swimming records were actually shattered on Sunday in the grassroots sports meet.
Local bet Christian Isaiah Lagnason broke two records previously held by Pasig’s Arvin Naeem Taguinota II, setting new benchmarks in the boys’ 12-13 200-meter individual medley (IM) and 100-meter freestyle events.
Lagnason reset the 200m IM mark by nearly three seconds, clocking 2 minutes and 19.63 seconds and erasing the previous standard of 2:22.02, while posting 57.26 seconds in the 100m freestyle -- almost a full second faster than the old record of 57.92.
Meanwhile, Ashton Clyde Jose of the City of Santa Rosa in Laguna province reset the tournament record in the opening event, registering 2:15.12 in the boys’ 16-17 IM.
All podium finishers in the boys’ 14-15 100m freestyle eclipsed the previous record of 56.17 seconds, led by Mandaluyong’s Kevin Bryle Chan, who topped the race in 55.39 seconds.
Negros Oriental’s Dylan Edward Plaza (29.82s) and Pasig City’s Roland Aaron Seprado (28.32s) also became new record holders in the boys’ 12-13 and 14-15 age categories, respectively, in the 50m backstroke.
In the girls’ division, Sophia Rose Garra of Malabon City clocked 30.71 seconds in the girls’ 12-13 50m backstroke, with all medalists surpassing Nicola Diamante’s old mark of 33.16.
FJ Catherine Cruz of Mabalacat City narrowly established a new best in the girls’ 16-17 50m backstroke with 31.23 seconds, just 0.06 seconds faster than the previous record. / SC sports with PSC media / PNA