Davao City's powerhouse swimming team clinched an impressive total of 21 gold medals, 20 silvers, and 12 bronzes by the end of Day 2 at the Davao Region Athletic Association (Davraa) Meet 2024 swimming competition held at the Davao del Norte Sports Complex in Tagum City on Wednesday, April 3.
Leading the golden streak for the Davao City Durians were Paolo Miguel Labanon, Rissa Angelian Sahagun, Stacey Bernice Requiza, and Pietro Dominic Requiza.
Labanon, the standout swimmer awarded as the Palarong Pambansa 2023 secondary boys' most outstanding swimmer, secured two gold medals in the secondary boys' 200m and 400m freestyle events. Additionally, he anchored the city's secondary boys 4X50m medley relay team to another gold, alongside Pietro Dominic Requiza, Jabhari Dilangalen, and Jon Raphael Rodriguez.
"I didn't quite hit my best times, but I'm on track with my goal of dominating all my events," said Labanon, a 17-year-old Grade 11 student at Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao (MMCM), in a Facebook Messenger interview with SunStar Davao late Wednesday afternoon.
The Batang Pinoy 2023 most valuable player (MVP) noticed improvements in some swimmers from Tagum City and Davao del Norte.
However, Labanon expressed confidence in his preparations and remains optimistic about achieving his goal for this Davraa Meet: securing the MVP title.
Sahagun showcased her prowess with four individual golds and one relay gold, dominating events such as the secondary girls 200m and 400m individual medley (IM), 50m and 100m breaststroke, and anchoring the secondary girls 4X50m medley relay alongside teammates Stacey Bernice Requiza, Zhamella Mirantes, and Zoe Raut.
In a separate phone interview on Tuesday, April 2, Sahagun, an Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) senior high school student, expressed satisfaction.
"It was really a good performance, and I even managed to surpass my personal bests," attributing their success to rigorous training in a 50-meter pool in Tagum City.
Meanwhile, Stacey Bernice Requiza added three individual golds in the secondary girls 50m butterfly, 200m backstroke, and 100m backstroke events, while Pietro Dominic Requiza matcher her with three individual golds in the
secondary boys 50m butterfly, 200m backstroke, and 100m backstroke events.
The rest of Davao City's gold medalists include Jemeina Alexandra Pagaran (secondary girls 200m freestyle), Jiro Kyel Gatacillo (elementary boys 50m butterfly), Rodolfo Paulo Apilado III (secondary boys 200m and 400m IM), Jabhari Dilangalen (secondary boys 50m breaststroke), Jahred Carlos Basan, Jesu Gabriel Yu, Jiro Kyel Gatacillo, Ryker Zeke Peneiro (elementary boys 4X50m freestyle), Jon Raphael Rodriguez, Jian Baulos, Rafael Cruz, and Juan Alessandro Suarez (secondary boys 4X50m freestyle relay).
SunStar Davao’s Davraa Meet 2024 special coverage is presented by Mati City Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat, Santos Land Development Corporation, Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao, Davao de Oro First District Rep. Maricar Zamora, and NCCC Supermarket. MLSA